Di Leo, Ratotti’s agent: Interest from Chilean and Mexican clubs | OneFootball

Franco Ratotti’s representative, Matías Di Leo, spoke with 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 have already had some conversations with Unión’s directors, because, well, the important thing is that Franco can keep getting minutes and yes, the truth is he had a good semester. 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 found ourselves in, I think Franco was able to stand out in a context that was not ideal. And as I was saying a little while 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 also the idea—that he can keep getting playing time. Because his dream, and 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 the idea, at first, is for him to keep playing in the first division.”

“He’s a kid, 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 was not 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. The truth is, 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 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 in-depth conversation about how we’re going to proceed, but I think the priority will be that he can keep playing and keep developing. Hopefully, it can be at Unión, and if not, well, we’ll look for a place where he can keep showing what he can do and keep growing above all else.”

“Yes, yes, there are other offers, it’s real. There’s even a specific club from the United States, and as I’ve mentioned in other interviews, 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 he became, maybe not 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’s done. That’s why I was saying, we have mixed feelings, because we think what happened at the club was, unfortunately, very sad, but we’re 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.