$20 million, River’s transfer budget for the summer window | OneFootball

The ball is no longer rolling at River Camp. The first week of December has begun, and the squad, eliminated prematurely from the Torneo Clausura in the round of 16, is already enjoying its first days of vacation. A blow to the hopes and expectations of Marcelo Gallardo, who described the last three months as “terrible.”

That’s why, with the squad overhaul and restructuring already underway following the departure of several long-standing players whose contracts ended, the “Transfer Market Operation” is now being launched internally. What will it look like? With a limited budget: 20 million dollars.

Gone are the days of long lists of names and hefty expenditures that took place in the last three transfer windows under Gallardo’s leadership. Now, the club’s management—headed by Stefano Di Carlo—has changed its approach in line with the team’s current situation and the club’s reality: the search will be targeted and with a tight wallet.

Although there might be a particular player who catches Gallardo’s eye and would require River to put a significant sum on the table, the basic plan is not to “throw money out the window” as has happened before, especially with the looming possibility that the club may not play in the 2026 Copa Libertadores (they need Boca to win the championship), which would tighten the financial situation even further.

Which positions does River want to strengthen in the January transfer market?

A left-back A central midfielder An attacking midfielder A forward *The planning regarding the transfer market and spending will not change even if they qualify for the initial phase of the Libertadores.

With this budget in mind, there are already some names on the radar. The first is Luciano Gondou, currently at Zenit in Russia. The Millonario has already contacted the Russian club, where the number 9 is not getting the playing time he wants, to open negotiations. The first proposal was for a loan with an option or obligation to buy, but so far there has been no progress. The striker has already given his approval, and those at Núñez are waiting for the Russian club’s response to take the next step.

Additionally, for the attacking midfielder position, there are two candidates: the possible return of Claudio Echeverri, whom Bayern Leverkusen may release but River depends on Manchester City—the owner of his rights—agreeing to loan him to Argentina, and Gianluca Prestianni, formerly of Vélez and currently at Benfica.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.