River Plate sign Thiago Almada, Flamengo had eyed midfielder | OneFootball

Argentine club announced an agreement with Thiago Almada this Saturday (08)

Thiago Almada is River Plate’s (ARG) new player. After negotiating with Flamengo, the midfielder chose to return to his home country. This Saturday (08), the Buenos Aires club announced the agreement with the player.

“OFFICIAL STATEMENT: River Plate has agreed with Atlético de Madrid on the permanent transfer of player Thiago Almada. The footballer will travel to the country in the coming hours to join the squad,” it wrote on social media.

Developed at Vélez Sarsfield (ARG), the player also spent time at Atlanta United (USA), Botafogo, Lyon (FRA), and was most recently at Atlético de Madrid (ESP), where he had played since July 2025. Recently, the player represented Argentina at the World Cup, appearing in five of the tournament’s eight matches.

WAS FLAMENGO CLOSE TO SIGNING ALMADA?

Almada was in talks with River Plate while Flamengo’s board decided to enter the race. As a result, the Rio club relied on its good relationship with Atlético de Madrid and offered bank guarantees that pleased the Spaniards.

Even so, at first, the midfielder’s wish was to remain in Europe. However, after an underwhelming showing at the World Cup, played in 2026, the player did not attract interest from any major European club.

With that scenario, returning to South America became the second option. According to reporting by Coluna do Fla, Thiago Almada demanded a salary far higher than what Flamengo currently pays its top players. Because of this, the club’s board concluded that such a gap would cause problems in the dressing room and could affect the group’s unity.

Therefore, the board refused to raise its financial offer, an amount already considered high. Football director José Boto even traveled to Argentina to speak with the player’s representatives, at which point he communicated the decision.

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