River Plate sign Uruguayan defender Giovanni González on contract to 2027 | OneFootball

River Plate have signed 31-year-old Uruguayan full-back Giovanni González on a contract running to 31 December 2027, their third signing of the current window.

The club said in a statement that he completed his medical in Spain and will link up with Eduardo Coudet’s squad in Alicante for pre-season.

González arrives from Krasnodar, where he has played since August 2024. River agreed his move with the Russian club to cover the imminent departure of Fabricio Bustos and reinforce a squad short on options.

He will compete with Gonzalo Montiel at right-back, and can also operate on the left as an alternative to Marcos Acuña, with Matías Viña’s future uncertain.

The defender came through Racing de Uruguay, joined Peñarol in 2018, then moved to Mallorca from 2022 to 2024 before heading to Russia. He has 17 Uruguay caps, none under Marcelo Bielsa.

A link with Damián Musto, now Coudet’s assistant, helped the move. The pair were team-mates at Peñarol in 2021, played 24 matches together and won the Torneo Clausura 2021 and the Uruguayan title that year.

González will begin training immediately in Alicante, and River face Flamengo in a friendly in Portugal in the coming days. He will have an adaptation period, but could feature if the coaching staff deem him physically ready.

Source: SuperDepor.com