Young stars from South America who could light up the game following Echeverri

Manchester City are reportedly close to finalising a deal for Argentinian wonderkid Claudio Echeverri - and the 18-year-old is far from the only promising footballer emerging from South America.

Pep Guardiola's side have acted quick to secure his signature from River Plate for a fee of £22m.

The deal has echoes of the way Man City lured Julian Alvarez from River Plate for £18m in January 2022, before loaning him back for the remainder of that campaign.

Echeverri, dubbed the 'next Lionel Messi' in some circles, is the latest on South America's long production line of wonderkids.

Here, Mail Sport looks at Echeverri and some of the other shining lights from the continent who could make huge waves in the game in years to come.

Claudio Echeverri (Argentina)

Echeverri, who turned 18 two days into 2024, enjoyed an impressive spell for Argentina at the Under-17 World Cup.

His country finished fourth, while the winger scored five goals - including a hat-trick against Brazil - and finished joint-second in the race for the tournament's golden boot.

His style of play has seen him showcase 'devilish' dribbling skills, pace in one-on-one scenarios and a powerful shot.

Echeverri has made just four appearances for River Plate this season, amassing a total of 72 minutes of football, but his international displays attracted interest from Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan.

However, it is the Premier League champions Man City that have won the race to sign him.

Once the deal is confirmed, Echeverri will spend the rest of the calendar year with River Plate, who he is contracted to until December, before coming to Manchester.

Agustin Ruberto (Argentina)

Echeverri's five goals at the Under-17 World Cup was