Enrique “Beto” Bologna has officially decided to move on to get regular playing time in his final season(s) and will likely continue his career in Banfield, where he made his professional debut and spent several years. Best of luck to him. He arrived without much expectations but was always up to the task in defending the biggest goal in the country. Beto’s exit and Lux’s likely retirement will probably open a door for Ezequiel Centurion to stay after his positive stint at Estudiantes de Caseros this past season. Initially, the 24-year-old GK will be analyzed by Gallardo during the pre-season before they decide to keep him as a back-up for Armani or send him out on loan again. Another player that will be watched closely by Gallardo is Elias Lopez, who had a good season with Godoy Cruz. With Vigo not convincing during his first year and Rojas possibly being needed as CB, this is a good chance for the RB to prove himself and fight for the spot throughout the season. Speaking of the Mendocinos, Godoy Cruz are currently interested in receiving Federico Girotti, Thomas Gutierrez, and Franco Petroli on loan. Santiago Montiel has a good chance of going on loan to Rosario Central, who have been eyeing him for a while now. Other youngsters that could depart on loan deals are Tomas Castro Ponce, Nahuel Casasola, and Franco Camargo, as Gallardo wants them to get first team playing time (ala Enzo Fernandez). Talleres are trying to acquire Carlos Auzqui after his successful loan spell there, but are unwilling to pay his $2.5M loan clause (of course ). They will attempt to negotiate a lower fee, if not they will propose a new loan deal. It is worth noting that a few months ago we had received a $3M offer from Al-Ahli for him, but Talleres would not release him early (even though they were offered a compensation), so there really is no reason we should keep on doing them favors. Velez are interested in Jose Paradela on loan, but for now Gallardo plans on keeping him as a rotation option for 2022. As for David Martinez’s continuity, River plans on offering several youngsters and/or subs on loan as part of the deal since they don’t want to pay the rumored $4.5M price tag (for 50%). Initially Franco Paredes was going to be included in the negotiations, as he spent all last season there, but he tore his ACL in the last game of the year and will return to River to make his recovery. Emmanuel Mammana’s reincorporation will be analyzed as Gallardo is aware of his technical attributes, but apparently he is somewhat skeptical of moving forward because of his unappealing recent injury history. Meanwhile, as Fabrizio Angileri’s future is in doubt (he is entering the final year of his contract and his agent is trying to place him in Europe), River have begun analyzing possible reinforcement options for the position. Lautaro Blanco of Rosario Central appears on the radar, while Milton Valenzuela (Columbus Crew; former Newell’s) has been offered.
LPM reporting that an agreement has been reached for the incorporation of Tomas Pochettino from Austin FC https://lapaginamillonaria.com/riverplate/Tomas-Pochettino-es-jugador-de-River-20211228-0013.html No formal announcement from the club to officialize the numbers as of now, but it is being reported as a 12-month loan agreement with a $4M buyout clause. Another former bostero for Gallardo’s team, following in the footsteps of Maidana, Pratto, and Bertolo. In other news, Palmeiras made an offer for David Martinez, but River is believed to be closing in on a deal for his transfer (despite having an inferior offer than the Brazilians) mainly due to the defender’s personal persistence to remain at the club.
Other players — River is making an attempt to incorporate Fabricio Bustos from Independiente. The interest mainly stems from the fact that he’ll be a free agent in six months, so an accessible transfer fee could be arranged with el rojo. Initial conversations between the two clubs have gone well so far, although the main issue that could throw off the operation are the high salary demands from the right-back, who is also being monitored by a few Brazilian clubs. Speaking of RBs, Talleres and Velez are interested in Alex Vigo on loan. River’s intention was for him to stay, but after his underwhelming first season they may allow him to leave and grow else where for a season if the circumstances are right. A simple inquiry over Nahuel Bustos’ transfer status has been made, as his team remains in the second division of the Spanish league. River wants to know if a feasible deal could be made if the player has personal interest and pushes for the move, but at the moment nothing more than that. 28-year-old Independiente del Valle midfielder Lorenzo Faravelli (former Newell’s, Gimnasia, Huracan) is on the radar, although for now it’s nothing more than a tab being kept on him. With Pochettino’s arrival, on top of Palavecino/Simon/Enzo Jr’s good form (and possibly Juan Fer’s return), I imagine River will probably not push too hard to incorporate this guy... but who knows. There’s a rumor that Newcastle consulted over Agustin Palavecino (which would suck if he left after he finally adapted to the team), so maybe that opens a door. Meanwhile, River is moving to find a new loan destination for Cristian Ferreira, who finished the season getting quite a good amount of playing time for Colon after starting as a sub. Augusto Aguirre has also been offered to a few teams (Tigre, Platense, Patronato) after his loan spell with Godoy Cruz. Lastly, Benjamin Rollheiser’s deal is currently set to conclude in June, and River have already begun negotiations to seal an extension. However, the first offers have been turned down by the 21-year-old forward [insert Here We Go Again meme]
In a surprise move, it seems Leandro Gonzalez Pirez is set to return to River on loan for a year from Inter Miami.
22-year-old Uruguayan winger/forward Brian Ocampo, who made his NT debut last year in Copa America vs. Argentina, is being linked to River after concluding his contract with Nacional de Montevideo. D'Onofrio had previously enquired over a possible transfer in early 2021, but at the time the Uruguayans wanted $12M for the deal and River immediately pulled out. With the transfer now in his hands, Ocampo appeared to have everything set to join America (MEX) (he was also sought by Sao Paulo). However, River's late interest appears to be impactful enough for him to change his decision, as he not only desires to be coached by Gallardo but is also apparently a fan of el mas grande.... back in July, he posted this picture on social media: Additionally, he is also managed by Paco Casal (same agent as DLC), who is a long-time friend/business partner of Francescoli..
Independiente and San Lorenzo asked for Federico Girotti on loan, but.... "Estamos evaluando la salida de Federico. Esta semana avanzaremos en las opciones de préstamo para salir y se las presentaremos a River. Esperemos que sean buenas para todas las partes, para Federico y para River" "Nuestra idea es que Federico salga a Europa, creemos que es un sitio mejor, es un buen aparador donde él puede crecer." "Puede llegar alguna opción de compra, pero no van a ser a principios de mercado y no creo que sean opciones muy apetecibles para River. En este mercado priorizaría la opción de préstamo. Nos gustaría que River acepte alguna de las ofertas que le vamos a presentar" Other loan deals -- Tomas Galvan will be leaving on loan without charge to Defensa y Justicia (in part as a return favor for their generosity in the David Martinez deal). However, River will not include a buyout clause (which DyJ originally intended to have) since he is a highly regarded prospect. The club will need to work out a new contract with the player before he leaves though, as his current deal expires at the end of 2022. Elias Lopez was originally expected to return to River after his loan with Godoy Cruz expired, but he actually showed up in Mendoza today for el Tomba's first day of pre-season training. No official confirmation yet, but he is expected to sign a new loan deal in the coming days. Speaking of Godoy Cruz, 20-year-old Tomas Castro Ponce also appears set to join them on loan. Like Galvan, the talented midfielder is currently on the last year of his contract and must sign an extension before sealing the move. At the moment, the two clubs are negotiating a possible future transfer clause (hopefully they don't include one, because this kid seems promising) Alex Vigo could also leave on loan to Independiente as part of the negotiation for Fabricio Bustos...
Fabricio Bustos quedó muy cerca de convertirse en refuerzo de River ⬜️🟥⬜️. Si se ratifica lo charlado en las últimas horas, el lateral de Independiente se sumaría al plantel de Marcelo Gallardo en el inicio de la próxima semana. pic.twitter.com/LRWZpOma93— VarskySports (@VarskySports) January 7, 2022 If all goes according to plan, Fabricio Bustos will join River starting next week.
With Mammana and Gonzalez Pirez expected to join the team in the coming days, three reserve CBs will be leaving to other teams to gain minutes: Tomas Lecanda and Thomas Gutierrez are headed to recently-promoted Barracas Central on loan for a year. Augusto Aguirre, meanwhile, will be joining San Martin (SJ) on loan after his failed stint in Godoy Cruz.
Other possible loans (these aren’t sealed, just ongoing talks): Carlos Auzqui to Velez Alex Vigo to Talleres Cristian Ferreira to Liga MX/Brasileirao Federico Girotti to Willem (Holland) or an undisclosed Spanish side Agustin Fontana to Defensa y Justicia or Newell’s
Manu Lanzini: Lanzini (28 años) viene sumando minutos importantes en West Ham y arrancó el 2022 con un gol. Antes de enfrentar al Leeds de Bielsa, el volante aseguró que vería con buenos ojos tener una segunda etapa en River "Tengo ganas de formar parte de River en algún momento. Sobre todo con Gallardo, que es un técnico fantástico que potencia a los jugadores. Tener técnicos así es difícil encontrarlos en la carrera de un futbolista (...) River es una institución que no tiene nada que envidiarle a los grandes clubes de Europa. Siempre te dan las ganas de volver a un club de la magnitud de River, por lo que es, por lo que genera. Encima, es un club donde está Gallardo en este caso”, expresó en TyC Sports https://www.ole.com.ar/river-plate/manuel-lanzini-confesion-river-gallardo_0_YA-oq7txi.html Hurry up then! Imagine Lanzini returning and forming an attack with Julian, Quintero, Suarez, DLC
Although River had reached an agreement with Independiente over Fabricio Bustos, it seems the transfer has been put on hold after his agent recommended the rightback waits until June to be a free agent in order to cash in bigger (the idea would be to seal a move to Europe mid-year, and he has already had talks with some interested clubs). The deal still hasn't fully fallen, but at the moment it seems he'd be staying in Independiente for 6 more months (where he would be relegated to the reserves as punishment if he stays) until he is released. Alex Vigo, who was likely headed out with Bustos's expected arrival, will now possibly stay due to the lack of options in the RB position. Besides having the Independiente loan option, Talleres had reportedly agreed personal terms with the former Colon defender over his contract should a move transpire. Unless Bustos joins River, though, it is unlikely that Vigo will leave. Possibly the best news of the transfer window.... Agustin Fontana has left to Defensa y Justicia on loan for a year, free of charge and with an optional buyout clause worth $2,000,000. Hopefully he does good enough in el Halcon to never come back! While Tomas Lecanda has already officially joined Barracas Central on loan (no buyout clause included), Thomas Gutierrez still isn't convinced about that destination and is awaiting other possible offers. However, he hasn't formally discarded that option either, and there is a good chance he'll join Chiqui Tapia's team on loan in the coming days if no other serious proposal arrives. Carlos Auzqui's future is still undefined, but it will certainly not be in River. The club has put a $1,000,000 pricetag on him as to avoid another dead-end loan deal, and it appears both Velez and Estudiantes would be willing to pay the figure. It is now up to the player to decide, and developments should be expected in the near future. Hernan López Muñoz is currently negotiating a new loan deal with Central Cordoba, where he spent last season (he missed a large part of it due to injury). The player himself had expressed his desire to continue his recovery in River and fight for a spot, but it appears everything is set for him to head back to Santiago del Estero for another year. Brian Ocampos has turned down another offer from Mexico (besides the one from America) because of his desire to join River... now the cards are in Brito and Enzo's hands. David Martinez has officially signed his new deal with River, which on paper is another loan (until December 2022) with a buyout clause. However, it is said that the real agreement with Defensa is $3,000,000 for 35% of the transfer (to be paid in installments throughout 2 years), with another option too buy the remaining 15% in the future. Emanuel Mammana has officially terminated his contract with Zenit and has passed his physical exam with River. The 25-year-old defender, who won 5 titles with River in his first term at the club, will sign a one-year contract with an option to extend it til December 2023. "Estoy muy contento y feliz de tener esta oportunidad. Volver a casa es algo muy lindo. Hice mucho esfuerzo para volver. Voy a dejar todo adentro de la cancha por el club que amo y que me dio todo" "Intenté que el pase se diera ahora, que estoy bien. Si no, no hubiera intentado volver al club que me dio todo" Leandro Gonzalez Pirez also passed his medical in recent days. After being released as a free agent in 2015, he makes his return to the club on loan for a year with a buyout clause (which at the moment is still undisclosed). Still no updates on the renewal of Benjamin Rollheiser and Bruno Zuculini's contracts, which are both set to expire in June. The club will also need to begin moving forward on Julian Alvarez's contract extension should he stay at the club this season, as his current deal concludes in December. Same goes for Nicolas de la Cruz. On the other hand, Santiago Simon and Felipe Peña Biafore have signed new deals until 2024 and no longer risk being snapped on a free later this year.
Guess who's back! "Estoy muy contento, la verdad que muy agradecido. Esperemos hacer una buena temporada. No veo la hora de estar con mis compañeros. Volví porque es un reto nuevo, arrancar de cero, así es River", expresó Quintero sobre sus sensaciones al volver a ponerse la camiseta de River y explicar los motivos de su decisión. Y agregó: "Quiero hacer lo mejor para el club. Fueron muchas cosas, todo sabemos lo que pasó en Madrid. Eso no va a cambiar nunca. Este es un reto nuevo. Estoy en mi casa y estoy muy felíz, Gallardo y yo queríamos volver encontrarnos. De la rodilla estoy bien". “River es mi equipo, mi preferencia. Con respecto a los otros intereses, agradecer. Fueron varios clubes. Desde el principio, mi intención fue volver." "River siempre pelea cosas importantes. He tenido la oportunidad de estar en el día a día y a raíz de eso, el respeto que tengo hacia mis compañeros, el cuerpo técnico. Por eso tomo la decisión de ir a River. Agradecerle por esa confianza. Estoy muy feliz" After his physical (scheduled for tomorrow), Juan Fernando Quintero is expected to sign a one-year contract with the club, with the option to execute an extension for an additional season -- much like the deal Mammana recently sealed. ⏳ #ElRetornoDelRey pic.twitter.com/ddwu6wBxXs— River Plate (@RiverPlate) January 20, 2022
Man City are closing in on Julian Alvarez for approximately €18M... chump change for them. The idea would be for him to remain in River on loan to the very least until June, if not December. Meanwhile, River is in talks to bring Esequiel Barco (former Independiente) and negotiations with Atlanta United have gotten off on the right track. One thing that benefits us is that they need to get rid of a DP to make room for Almada.
Its sad that we seem to be taking cast offs from MLS. First Pochettino, then Pirez, now potentially Barco. None of these signings are remotely worth getting excited about. Barco really showed he was nothing more than a mercenary for his family when he went to MLS at such a young age. Not the kind of player I'd want. Though I guess it would make fans of El Rojo pretty upset. Quintero returning is extremely exciting. Can't wait to see him back with the 10 on his back. Its very sad that Brito is starting his presidency with such sale. Alvarez is worth much more than that, and Man City has unlimited money, why not push them harder? I know he must be under pressure from the players agent, family, and even Alvarez himself, but literally another 10 million from Man City is like the average person loaning their friend 10 bucks. Its a joke. In the past when players were already signed for European clubs, but remained on loan, it did not go well... see Kranevitter who's last few months before he joined Atletico were lackluster compared to his Libertadores form.
Farias is also being linked to River. That would be the one I’d keep my eye on, RG. I think the kid has a lot of potential. As for Barco, it was about the money for kid. It is for a lot of these kids. Young players are moving to the MLS. It is sad to see. If any of them pop out any kids in the States,‘I’m sure the US will be rubbing their hands together and hoping he’ll turn into a star.
I may be wrong, but I think it’s all just talk to increase his value. Where would he fit with Julian, Quintero, DLC, Pochettino, Palavecino, Suarez, and now possibly Barco? Rollheiser too, if he gets his shit together and signs a new deal. I mean I know the interest from River in him was indeed real at one point and Colon asked for a ludicrous transfer fee then (10M+), but now I don’t see the club splurging a near double digit fee on a player who isn’t really needed. But who knows, maybe they decide to use some of the Julian money to invest in the future... if he comes he’ll be welcomed, even though he’s a bostero. I also hear Enzo and Brito are secretly negotiating a forward signing outside of the radar, kind of like when Borre, Alonso, and Suarez all arrived suddenly without anyone knowing in their respective transfer windows.
If and only if he is brought up, other players may be on the move. If River do spend the money on him, that would mean players are leaving. That money would be coming from Julian’s transfer. But as you stated, who knows, River has been linked with a ton of players recently.
True, DLC’s contract is set to expire in December too, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s movement to find him a team. Suarez’s recovery is also taking longer than expected, and Rollheiser has been demoted for now as mentioned above. But even with Julian’s sale the club is still broke (we’re still paying off installments from transfers that happened years ago), and lets not forget that they have to set aside $7-8M in case they want to keep Pochettino and Gonzalez Pirez after their loan deals end. I don’t know how realistic it is to spend such a large sum on a player... even when they enquired about buying only a percentage, I think Colon wanted like $5M for 30%
It looks like we’re closing in on Esequiel Barco... the press is talking about a 2-year loan deal with a buyout clause ($8M for 50%) The player himself is prioritizing a move to River, turning down financially-superior offers from Brazil (Flamengo and Internacional, specifically), much like Quintero did.
Benjamin Rollheiser is said to have offers from MLS to continue his career there through a free agent move in June. It seems unlikely he’ll sign a new contract with River at the moment.
I can hardly get worked up about it, he hasn't been nearly as impressive as some of his peers and it seems we've brought in better players in similar roles anyway. A shame he'll leave for free, but I don't think he'll be missed. In other news, River has confirmed the signing of Elías Gomez from Argentinos Jrs. It seems the left-back chose River over Independiente after a call from Gallardo, and might signal that Angileri is closing to leaving than extending his contract.
Looks like Federico Girotti could very well be heading to Willem after all... Brito is close to accepting a loan offer from the Dutch side, which is valued at $500,000 with a $1.5M buyout clause for 50% of the transfer. It's incredible that they would include such a low transfer option, especially considering how we had already turned down an offer worth nearly $4M in early 2020 before he was even really a first team squad member. However, his contract is set to expire in December, so I imagine he's probably pressuring for the move with the threat that he could just leave for free in the near future. The positive is that we'd still keep a significant percentage of a future transfer fee (assuming they do indeed end up buying him after the loan, of course). This also makes me think that River could very well be closing in on Valentín Castellanos as a late reinforcement for the attack, as they don't seem to be finding him placement in Europe as originally intended. Most European transfer windows close on Monday, so maybe we'll have some update next week. Luciano Vietto, former Racing forward currently in conflict with Al-Hilal, was also offered to the club as an alternative for the attack... personally I'd rather give Londoño a chance instead. Another player that could leave on loan to Europe is Jorge Carrascal. Makes sense -- with the arrivals of Quintero and Barco he was probably going to get limited playing time. Sampdoria are offering to take him on loan for the season with an undisclosed buyout clause.. some sources talk about a $10M fee, others of a negotiation for only a percentage of the transfer in order to secure a bigger number in the future. Anyway, even if he goes there it doesn't necessarily mean they would buy him: remember Boca's failed experience sending Maroni to the same club ($15M buyout clause and he hardly ended up even playing during the course of the loan before returning)? Lazio are monitoring Robert Rojas heavily and have been in contact with him for weeks now, but it is unlikely a move will happen during this transfer window. We'll see what happens in June, though.. Independiente are on hold for the loan of Alex Vigo, who they have been keen on signing for weeks now.. in the meantime, River is attempting to acquire RB Andres Herrera from San Lorenzo (this would be the key to allow the former Colon defender to leave to el rojo). CASLA wants $3M, a pricetag River doesn't want to pay, so they are playing with their financial desperation to try to reach a figure closer to 2 million. The club has already reached personal terms with the player should San Lorenzo cave in. In other news, there are still no confirmed destinations for Carlos Auzqui or Cristian Ferreira. I'm sure there are plenty of interested teams, but since River has practically declared them unwanted no one seems to want to pay up.
Absolutely worth it even if they don't trigger the 10M clause honestly. I've tried to be patient and trust the Gallardo process with Carrascal, but the guy is so damnably inconsistent and prone to shocking blunders even in the matches he plays well in and I think the pressure of River is just too much for him to handle. By all accounts there are also better prospects in the reserves nipping at his heels (Tomás Galvan who just got loaned out and Carlos Airala who just got brought in), so it's high time he moved on to greener pastures and new players got their shot in his place.