What’s left for Fausto Vera to become River’s first signing | OneFootball

Gallardo is awaiting confirmation of the first new signing for 2026, although there are still some details to be worked out before Atlético Mineiro lets him go.

River moved quickly in the transfer market and only a few details remain before they secure their first reinforcement. The agreement with Atlético Mineiro for the loan of Fausto Vera is about to be finalized, and it is practically a done deal that the former Argentinos Juniors player will be the first new face in Marcelo Gallardo’s squad for 2026.

Everything has been settled between the Millonario and the player for several days now. In fact, he wasn’t even included in Jorge Sampaoli’s squad for the last round of the Brasileirao and has already said goodbye to his teammates at Galo. However, there are still some issues between the clubs that have not been resolved, which is why the deal hasn’t been closed yet.

In principle, what remains are mere formalities: River and Mineiro are staying in contact to finalize the fine print of a one-year loan deal that will include a mandatory purchase option of around four or five million dollars. It’s a fairly accessible figure that Núñez will end up paying if the central midfielder meets certain requirements during the season.

Vera is a product of the Argentinos Juniors youth academy, a cradle of great central midfielders. He developed there and played 75 matches in the First Division, until mid-2022, when, already as captain, El Bicho sold 70% of his rights to Corinthians for 8 million dollars.

After two years and 96 matches with Timao, he moved to Atlético Mineiro at the express request of Gabriel Milito, then coach of the Galo team. The Argentine coach knew him from his time at La Paternal and was, in both stints, the coach who got the best out of him. In those first six months with the Belo Horizonte side, he was the leader of the midfield and even reached the final of the 2024 Copa Libertadores.

However, after Milito’s departure, he lost his place and had a very inconsistent 2025. Throughout the year, he played 32 matches, only 21 as a starter. In the end, with the arrival of Jorge Sampaoli, he was pushed even further down the pecking order and the former Argentina national team coach told him he would not be a priority going forward.

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