Changuito Zeballos won't renew in June and could be sold to Europe | OneFootball

Negotiations over the renewal of Changuito’s contract are stalled and, at this point, the option gaining the most consensus between the parties is for him to leave midyear while bringing money into the club where he came through the ranks.

The renewal of Exequiel Zeballos’ contract at Boca became a central topic as soon as 2026 began. Time started to become pressing with the calendar change due to the proximity of his contract’s expiration — December of this year — and everything took on even greater significance when, as the months went by, Changuito established himself as a crucial piece in Claudio Úbeda’s team until suffering his injury.

However, negotiations became more bogged down than expected and, now in May, the truth is that there is still no agreement to extend the deal. Given this scenario, the option currently gaining the most traction ahead of a final decision is a sale to European football in the next transfer window.

These are decisive hours regarding Zeballos’ future and the outlook currently points toward a move abroad in July. The inability to reach common ground over the length of the contract and the release clause led the Santiago del Estero native’s representatives to look for a significant offer to bring to the offices at La Bombonera in the short term, with the aim of avoiding an outcome neither side wants: the forward leaving on a free at the end of the year.

The good relationship between the club’s hierarchy and the player’s camp, along with the fact that Zeballos came through the club and strongly identifies with it, fuels the intention to find a solution that benefits both sides. From the attacker’s side, there is a willingness to leave Boca some money and not go out “through the back door”, as happened in other recent cases. It is worth remembering that starting July 1 he can freely negotiate with another club.

Under what conditions could the deal happen? The idea is to complete a transfer for a fee that, although it would be far from the 20 million dollars set in the release clause and also below the club’s initial demands, would still represent significant income for Boca’s coffers.

In recent months, two European clubs have made moves for Zeballos: CSKA Moscow and Napoli. The Russians sounded things out and hinted at a proposal close to 10 million dollars, while the Italian side has been closely monitoring his situation for some time and could formally make a move in the middle of the year.

That amount, which some time ago was considered insufficient at Boca, would now be viewed differently by Juan Román Riquelme, especially considering that there is still no agreement on a renewal and that timeframes are beginning to work against them.

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