Just two days before returning to training, Marcelo Gallardo begins to announce positive news from an incipient passport book that is as busy as it is difficult: River agreed to include Fausto Verathe first reinforcement for the 2026 season. After two grueling weeks of negotiations with Atlético Mineiro, a final agreement was reached Loan for one year with option to purchase of the 25-year-old midfielder who will leave Brazilian football after three seasons. And it won’t be the only new face that the DT plans for the field axis: now With the arrival of Santiago Ascacibar there is an attempt to break through the market.
For all he could know THE NATIONThe agreement between River and Atlético Mineiro is for a one-year loan with a fee of around $500,000 a purchase option that ranges between $4 and $4.5 million. His return to Argentine football comes after an irregular season in the Brasileirão, without having the desired experience in the team he led Jorge Sampaoli, who did not want to make it a priority for 2026.
In this way, despite offers from the MLS and Mexico, The player’s willingness to wear the red ribbon was crucial to complete the process linked to the new policy of the millionaire transfer market: transfers with cost and purchase options to evaluate the footballers for a year and then decide whether they deserve permanent integration.
With a budget of around $20 million – subject to change due to possible sales – The board, led by President Stefano Di Carlo, is committed to reducing spending in the marketafter investing around $70 million on 16 players in the last three transfer markets, with exorbitant and high numbers for players who did not perform as expected. In addition, also from the new contracts A fixed cap of 60 percent of the salary was set and the rest will depend on productivity and achieving goals.
Fausto Vera is the first player to agree to his arrival at River under these conditions and he has already been in the country for a few days waiting for the medical examination, which would take place before the weekend if the clubs manage to exchange documents. The midfielder, who emerged from Argentinos Juniors and has been selected by Gallardo several times, played 32 games this season in four competitions: Brasileirão, Copa Sudamericana, Copa do Brasil and the Mineiro Championship. In total, he made 21 starts, one goal and 1,728 minutes of play, an average of 54 minutes per game. Although he had a contract until December 2027, he no longer had a place in Mineiroto the point that his last game was on November 16th against Bragantino and he then sat on the bench four times in a row without being called up for the last date of the first division championship and saying goodbye to his teammates early.
Mid-2022 had been transferred from Argentinos to Corinthians for $7.5 million for 70% of his chip, thereafter 75 games with nine goals and four assists in La Paternal. In his first team in Brazil he played 96 games with two goals and four assists, but two years later he left the São Paulo team in the middle of the economic crisis He went to Atlético Mineiro for 4.5 million. Now he will return to Argentine football to rediscover his best version: a midfielder with technique, passing and game vision, with good distribution, but without being the classic number five in terms of reserve and physical superiority. He usually played with another midfielder sharing the midfield axis in the three clubs of his career.
For this reason, Gallardo is not only relying on Vera to strengthen this sector and will wait until the weekend to accelerate through Santiago Ascacibar. As soon as the Champions Trophy is played this Saturday in San Nicolás, which marks the end of the Estudiantes season, they will step on the gas in Núñez for the 28-year-old midfielder. It is the great desire of the market and the player for which River is willing to make a significant investment of money: His passport is worth at least six million dollars. Both the player and president Juan Sebastián Verón publicly opened the door to negotiations and earlier this month there was a first meeting between agents Kristian Ready and Federico Iglesias – they work with the Russian – and the millionaire leaders.
This Saturday the preparatory work begins in the River Campbut the doll already knows that Vera will be his first reinforcement and will wait for Ascacibar. Two clear market goals: take over half of the River Plate field and rebuild it a critical point that the millionaire has suffered from over the past three years: around 35 million dollars were invested between Matías Kranevitter, Rodrigo Villagra, Nicolás Fonseca, Kevin Castaño and Juan Portillo. It’s time to sharpen your eyes, adjust your wallet and press the right button.
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