$20 million, River’s transfer budget for the window | OneFootball

The ball is no longer rolling at River Camp. The first week of December has begun, and the squad, eliminated prematurely from the Torneo Clausura in the round of 16, is already enjoying its first days of vacation. A blow to the hopes and expectations of Marcelo Gallardo, who described the last three months as “terrible.”

That’s why, with the departure of several long-standing players whose contracts have ended, the process of clearing out and restructuring has already begun, and internally, the “Transfer Market Operation” is now underway. What will it be like? With a limited budget: 20 million dollars.

Far from those long lists of names and hefty expenditures that took place during the last three transfer windows under the leadership of “El Muñeco,” the management’s stance—headed by Stefano Di Carlo—has now changed in line with the team’s current situation and the club’s reality: the search will be targeted and with a tight wallet.

Although there may be a particular player who entices Gallardo and would require River to put several million dollars on the table, the basic plan is not to “throw money out the window” as has happened before, especially with the looming possibility that the club might not play in the 2026 Copa Libertadores (they need Boca to win the championship), which would further tighten the financial situation.

Which positions does River want to strengthen in the January transfer market?

A left back A central midfielder An attacking midfielder A forward *The planning regarding the transfer market and the money to be spent will not change if they manage to qualify for the initial phase of the Libertadores.

With that budget in mind, there are already some names on the radar. The first is Luciano Gondou, currently at Zenit in Russia. The “Millonario” has already contacted the Russian club, where the number 9 is not getting the playing time he wants, to open negotiations. The first proposal was for a loan with an option or obligation to buy, and so far there has been no progress. The forward has already given his approval, and those at Núñez are waiting for the Russian club’s response to take the next step.

Additionally, for the attacking midfielder position, there are two candidates: the possible return of Claudio Echeverri, whom Bayern Leverkusen would release but River depends on Manchester City—the owner of his rights—loaning him to Argentina, and Gianluca Prestianni, formerly of Vélez and currently at Benfica.

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