Bombshell: River announced a strong culling of 12 players for the preseason

When all the attention was focused on the World Cup debut of the Argentine National Team against Algeria tonight, River surprised everyone with a bombshell announcement. Through a statement, the Millonario confirmed that 12 players will not be part of the delegation traveling to preseason in Alicante, Spain, a measure that marks the beginning of a deep restructuring of the squad for the second half of the year.

The decision responds to the project led by Eduardo Coudet, who along with the management has already begun to define which players will not be considered for the second part of the year. The squad will resume training this Wednesday and will depart for Spain on Saturday, June 20, but several important names have been left out of the plans.

Among the players who will not travel are Paulo Díaz, Germán Pezzella, Fabricio Bustos, Maximiliano Meza, Giuliano Galoppo, Maximiliano Salas, and Alex Woiski. All of them must report on June 22 to continue training while their contractual or sporting situation is resolved. This list also includes Ian Subiabre and Santiago Lencina, who are currently in negotiations to join other clubs and, for that reason, will also not be part of the preparation in Europe.

On the other hand, the case of Kevin Castaño has a particularity. The Colombian midfielder is currently competing in the 2026 World Cup with his national team and, once his participation concludes, he will rejoin training with the group of players set aside from the tour.

Additionally, River reported that the situation of other players remains open. Matías Galarza Fonda will return to the club if the purchase option for his loan is not executed, while Andrés Herrera is negotiating his permanent stay at Columbus Crew once his temporary contract ends.

As part of the same process, the institution also communicated that there are four players who have been declared negotiable despite being part of the delegation that will travel to the Old Continent. Although their identities were not revealed, the measure makes it clear that the transfer market has just begun and that the squad could undergo more changes in the coming weeks.

With several departures underway and a significant overhaul on the horizon, River took the first step in a reconstruction that will have Coudet as the main responsible in the search for a new team to face the challenges of the second half of the year.