Nicolás Otamendi ‘to join’ River Plate after 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

ESPN in Argentina reports that Benfica captain Nicolás Otamendi has agreed to join River Plate, with the move planned for the summer after the 2026 World Cup.

The centre-back is approaching the end of his Benfica contract, and the switch would take him back to Buenos Aires and his boyhood club.

Should that scenario materialise, the meeting with Estoril on the final Liga Portugal Betclic weekend would be his last for Benfica, ending a spell that began in 2020 in a deal linked to Rúben Dias’s move to Manchester City.

For now, he is out of José Mourinho’s plans for Monday, 11 April, against Braga after a one-match suspension for a red card at Famalicão. He was also reprimanded by the coach and by president Rui Costa.

This season Otamendi has played 48 matches for Benfica. The breakdown is 29 in Liga Portugal Betclic, 14 in the Champions League, two in the Taça de Portugal, two in the Taça da Liga and one in the Supertaça, across 4,224 minutes, with three goals.

Source: Glorioso 1904