Lionel Messi did not take part in Inter Miami’s training session on Tuesday, raising doubts about his availability for the upcoming Leagues Cup quarterfinal against Tigres on Wednesday.
The Argentine left the pitch with some difficulty walking after his standout performance in Saturday’s 3-1 win over the LA Galaxy at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. The Argentine scored one goal and provided an assist in that match.
Coach Javier Mascherano stressed after the game that Messi’s condition would be evaluated daily: “The important thing is to see how Leo feels. We have to go day by day.”
Mascherano explained that Messi was included against the Galaxy to build rhythm ahead of the decisive quarterfinal against the Mexican side. Following the victory, the squad was given two days off, on Sunday and Monday, before returning to training on Tuesday morning.
Mascherano is expected to address the media later today and provide further clarity on Messi’s condition ahead of the Tigres match.
Claudio “Diablito” Echeverri will continue his career in Germany after Manchester City agreed to loan the 19-year-old to Bayer Leverkusen. The attacking midfielder from Chaco, who was named in Lionel Scaloni’s preliminary list for Argentina’s September World Cup qualifiers, will play for last season’s Bundesliga runners-up until the end of the campaign. At Leverkusen, he will reunite with another former River Plate player and Argentina international, Exequiel Palacios.
Echeverri was not part of Pep Guardiola’s plans for the new season and had been linked with several European clubs in recent weeks. City initially looked at sending him to Girona, part of the City Football Group, while Roma also showed interest but wanted a future clause included. In the end, Leverkusen moved quickly and closed the deal.
Per reports, two factors convinced City: the German club agreed to cover 100% of the player’s salary and the deal does not include a purchase option. Echeverri is expected to travel to Germany on Tuesday night, undergo a medical on Wednesday, and be officially presented by the club.
Echeverri joined Manchester City earlier this year after featuring in the South American U-20 Championship with Argentina. He made his debut in the FA Cup final, coming on as a substitute in City’s 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace. He later played five minutes in a league win against Fulham. His biggest highlight came in the FIFA Club World Cup, where he started against Al-Ain and scored a free-kick goal before being subbed off at halftime with an ankle injury.
Bayer Leverkusen is going through a transition following the departure of coach Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid and the exits of Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, and Jonathan Tah. With Erik ten Hag now in charge, the club aims to build on Alonso’s success, which included winning their first-ever Bundesliga title in 2023/24.
The German side started the new season with a 4-0 win over Sonnenhof Großaspach in the DFB Pokal and will host Hoffenheim this Saturday in the Bundesliga opener. It is unlikely that Echeverri will be part of the squad so soon, but the expectation is that he will have a more prominent role than he had in England.
Echeverri’s move to Germany could affect his availability for Argentina’s U-20 World Cup campaign in Chile, scheduled between September 27 and October 19. While at City he was not expected to play much, making his release more feasible, his new role at Leverkusen may complicate matters. His participation will now depend on the club’s decision.
Another Argentine talent, Franco Mastantuono, is also unlikely to play in the tournament, as he will be considered by Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid following his transfer from River Plate.
Enzo Fernández is suspended for Argentina and was not included in the preliminary team for September while more names have been excluded and new names have been included.
Fernández received a red card in Argentina’s last World Cup qualifying match against Colombia and will miss Argentina’s next match against Venezuela in September. Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni did not include him due to the suspension.
Matías Soulé and Paulo Dybala of AS Roma both miss out and are not in the team for the matches against Venezuela and Ecuador. Scaloni has also excluded Valentín Barco, Nicolás Domínguez, Valentín Castellanos, Alejandro Garnacho, Kevin Lomónaco, Juan Nardoni, Enzo Barrenechea and Emiliano Buendía while all eight were part of the preliminary team for the June World Cup qualifiers.
Gonzalo Montiel, Marcos Acuña, Julio Soler, Alan Varela, Claudio Echeverri, Valentín Carboni and José Manuel López were not part of the team for the June qualifiers but have been included in the latest team.
VfL Wolfsburg are considering signing Kevin Lomónaco.
The Independiente defender has gotten the interest of the German club. According to Florian Plettenberg, the Bundesliga team are considering the 23 year old centre back with talks already underway.
Lomónaco has a contract until 2027 with Independiente.
Cristian Romero has extended his contract with Tottenham Hotspur.
Romero will be staying with the club after renewing his contract. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Argentina had extended until June 2029 as the deal has been completed.
The club announced the extension but did not specify the length. The 27 year old was recently named captain of the club after having initially joined Tottenham in 2021 on loan from Atalanta.
He has played 126 matches with the club, winning last season’s Europa League.
