Gallardo wants Villa at River, board yet to decide | OneFootball

The days go by and, beyond the confirmed signings of Fausto Vera, Aníbal Moreno, and Matías Viña, River still hasn’t finalized the signing of an attacker in this transfer window. Initially, all eyes were on Santino Andino and Maher Carrizo, but neither of them will end up coming to Núñez.

As a result, the name of Sebastián Villa has once again taken center stage. The Colombian winger is coming off an extremely positive season with Independiente Rivadavia de Mendoza. However, there is something of an internal dispute and a conflict of interests regarding his possible arrival.

Marcelo Gallardo, River’s head coach, continues to insist on signing the former Boca player. Yes, “El Muñeco” is not willing to give up so easily, as he believes Villa is one of the highest-quality footballers currently playing in the domestic league.

It was Gallardo who, a few weeks ago, first put Villa’s name on the table. And now, with the other options off the table, he has shown that he hasn’t lost interest in the 29-year-old striker, who also previously played for Deportes Tolima in Colombia and PFC Beroe Stara Zagora in Bulgaria. But not everything is simple.

The River board, led by Stefano Di Carlo, is not at all certain about signing the four-time Colombian international. Not only because of the personal controversies he has been involved in in the past, but also due to significant financial considerations.

On one hand, River’s leadership believes that signing Villa goes against the values promoted by the Núñez-based club, recalling that the native of Bello, Antioquia, was once accused of gender-based violence. However, he was later cleared to continue playing as a professional footballer.

At the same time, River is not willing, not even close, to pay the $12 million initially requested by Daniel Vila, president of Independiente Rivadavia. They might be willing to offer about half that amount, considering that “La Lepra” could lower their demands for the player.

In short, Gallardo is by no means ruling out Villa’s arrival at River in this transfer window. But the coach’s desire continues to contradict the board’s stance, which generally disagrees but, if necessary, could end up giving in to satisfy his request.

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