In parallel to their preparation to face O'Higgins in the playoffs of the Copa Sudamericana, Bocais also continuing to work in the transfer market. In this context, the management made an important decision in recent hours: they withdrew from the signing of Lucas Passerini due to Belgrano's high financial demands.
The 32-year-old forward was seen as one of the alternatives to strengthen the attack, a search that became a priority due to the injury of Adam Bareiro, who still does not have a confirmed date to return and may even undergo surgery in the coming days.
Although the player had already given the green light to wear the blue and gold jersey, the negotiations did not progress. Belgrano set a price of 5 million dollars for 100% of his transfer, an amount that Boca considered excessive and led the management headed by Juan Román Riquelme to end the discussions.
Boca did not accept the price that Belgrano set for Passerini
With this decision, the attacker became the third center forward that Boca has ruled out in the current market due to financial reasons. Previously, efforts for Luciano Gondou had fallen through, whose transfer was valued at 15 million dollars by CSKA Moscow, and for David Romero, for whom Tigre wanted 8 million dollars plus the transfers of Jabes Saralegui and Kevin Zenón.
Despite these setbacks, the Football Council remains intent on bringing in a new "9" before the transfer window closes. In this context, during discussions with Belgrano, there were also inquiries about Nicolás "Uvita" Fernández, although for now no formal negotiation has emerged.
While redefining their search for a forward, Boca could have an additional margin to incorporate if they finalize any sale or loanbefore the market closes. One of the players with the highest chances of leaving is Marcelo Saracchi, who received an offer from Houston Dynamo of MLS. If that deal goes through, the club will have a grace period to continue searching for the forward they consider essential to face the rest of the season.
