Di Leo: Chilean clubs and a Mexican team interested in Ratotti | OneFootball

Franco Ratotti’s representative, Matías Di Leo, spoke to ADN Gol about the situation of the forward, who, in principle, will have to return to Unión where he has a contract until December 2028, after Unión Española of Chile—the club where he was playing and standing out—was relegated yesterday.

“The reality is that there was a loan with an option, yes, an automatic renewal for one more year, but all of that would fall through if Unión Española was relegated. So, in principle, Franco would have to return to Unión de Santa Fe.”

“I’ve already had some conversations with Unión’s directors, because, well, the important thing is that Franco can continue getting minutes and yes, the truth is he had a good semester. Right now we have a lot of mixed feelings, because the team was relegated, so it’s a huge sadness, but within all that adversity we faced, I think Franco was able to stand out in a context that wasn’t ideal and, as I was saying a moment ago, honestly, it’s sad on one hand, but I’m happy because he was able to show a bit of what he’s capable of, and that’s kind of the idea too, that he can keep getting playing time, because his dream—I’ll never get tired of saying it—will always be to play for Unión. But today, I think the priority for both the club and for us is that he can keep getting minutes. The reality is that there have already been several discussions, as I was saying, and what we’re going to prioritize—and I think it’s something we’ve already been talking about—is to put everything on the table and see how he can keep getting minutes. Hopefully we’ll have several options, but well, the initial idea is to keep getting minutes in the first division.”

“He’s a kid who’s just 20 years old, who left here without having debuted in the first division, arriving in a country he didn’t know, a football he didn’t know, at a club that was fighting relegation, and honestly he did very well, he stood out in a context that wasn’t ideal, and the fact that I’m getting calls and so on means he did things right. So, as I was saying, I’m happy on that side and sad because the team was relegated, and honestly, at the club they treated us really well, Unión Española had the intention—I think if they had stayed up, it was a given they would have exercised the purchase option because that had already been discussed. So, there are things going around, two or three specific ones, especially from Chinese football.”

“I know Leo Madelón but I haven’t had the chance to talk to him. I understand that the directors were following Franco, because as I said, there was a purchase option, so there were always conversations and, well, since he’s a club asset, logically there was monitoring of Franco and conversations. I think in that sense, both from Unión and the coaching staff, we’re all going to prioritize just that: the club’s assets, taking care of the club’s assets, and I think the best way for that asset to grow is for him to be able to showcase himself. Honestly, I haven’t had a very deep conversation about how we’re going to proceed, but I think the priority will be that: that he can keep playing and keep progressing. Hopefully it can be at Unión, and if not, well, we’ll look for a destination where he can keep showing himself and keep growing above all else.”

“Yes, yes, there are other offers, it’s true, even a specific club from the United States, I’ve mentioned it in other interviews as well, and there was also an approach from a club in China. Look, we’re talking about a 20-year-old kid, as I said, who’s just taking his first steps and the truth is he understands a little, he realizes he’s a kid with a lot of potential, because I repeat, in a totally adverse context he stood out, he arrived at a team fighting relegation and in two matches earned a starting spot, then became, I don’t know if a reference, but basically an undisputed starter. And today, if you look online and so on, the people at Unión are very happy with everything, the fans, the directors, the coaching staff, very happy with what he did. That’s why I was saying, we have mixed feelings, because we think what happened at the club was unfortunately very sad, but also happy, because there’s interest and that means Franco did things right.”

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