Argentina market values: Top talent Claudio Echeverri up by 200% - Facundo Garcés drops

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The market value update in Argentina has seen a clear winner: top talent and U17 captain Claudio Echeverri. El Diablitos tripled his market value to €12m, which makes him the third most valuable player in the Argentine first division—on top of that, the River Plate attacking midfielder is now one of the ten most valuable U17 players in the world. 

“Echeverri is still making his first steps in professional football, but his performances at the U17 World Cup with the Argentine national team were excellent and have caught the interest of several top clubs, including Manchester City, Chelsea, and Barcelona,” Transfermarkt Area Manager Argentina and South America Scott Christensen said. “The fans of the Millonarios are excited for him and will see more of him unless another club will exercise his exit clause.” Transfermarkt has recently featured Echeverri as part of the yearly Talents Calendar – read that here! 

Valentín Barco of rivals Boca Juniors also saw his market value increase by €3m to €13m, which means he will remain slightly ahead of Echeverri in the league ranking in second place. It also makes him one of the 30 most valuable Argentine players across the planet. “Originally, a wing-back, the midfielder has been a star for Boca and, aged just 19, already reached the final of the Copa Libertadores,” Christensen said. First place in the Liga Profesional de Fútbol belongs to Nicolás de la Cruz, who, according to Christensen, was the best River player this year and is being awarded with a €3m increase to €14m. 

Market Value

C. Echeverri Attacking Midfield

€12.00m

Godoy Cruz biggest squad value winners – Garcés drops after relegation

The biggest winner in terms of squad value are Godoy Cruz. El Tomba increased their squad value by €7.8m to €28.4m and climbed up the ladder by six spots to be ranked within the top 15 of most valuable clubs in Argentina’s top division. One of the big reasons for the increase are Tadeo Allende and Hernán López Muñoz, the nephew of legendary Diego Maradona. “López Muñoz possesses attributes of a midfielder that aren’t that common in modern football anymore, and he had a wonderful season for Godoy Cruz,” Christensen said about the €2.5m increase of the 23-year-old to now €5.5m. Allende, in the meantime, saw his market value increase by €2m to €4.5m. 

Market Value

H. López Muñoz Attacking Midfield

€5.50m

Among the big losers are River signings Pity Martínez (-€2m to €3m) and Manuel Lanzini (-€1.5m to €3.5m). “Both arrived in 2023 as leaders but could never show their qualities,” Christensen said. “Lanzini had more minutes than Pity, but his performances were far below the expectations.” The third player with a big drop is CA Colón’s captain, Facundo Garcés (-€1.5m to €3m), which is only consequential given his club’s relegation to the second division.

How Transfermarkt market values work

The Transfermarkt market values are calculated, taking into account various pricing models. A major factor is the Transfermarkt community, whose members discuss and evaluate player market values in detail. In general, the Transfermarkt market values are not to be equated with transfer fees. 

The goal is not to predict a price but an expected value of a player in a free market. Both individual transfer modalities and situational conditions are relevant in determining market values. Examples of this are listed below. Transfermarkt does not use an algorithm (you can find the detailed market value definition here).