Deep clean at River: who could leave and who are negotiable

After the tough elimination against Racing, River accelerated a process that was already seen as inevitable: a deep reconfiguration of the squad looking ahead to 2026. The end of the year, marked by sporting setbacks and poor collective performance, exposed the need for a purge that will include both free departures and players declared transferable.

After the clásico, Marcelo Gallardo clarified that he will begin working immediately on the restructuring and it is not ruled out that more names could appear on the list, although for now there are already 10 defined who would not continue due to contract and those who could leave through a sale.

The players whose contracts are ending and would leave

First, there is a group whose contracts end in December and would not renew for the next season, which are: Milton Casco, Ignacio Fernández, Gonzalo Martínez, Miguel Borja, Federico Gattoni (his loan from Sevilla expires) and Enzo Pérez.

These players have their departures practically sealed, except for Pérez. The continuity of the Millonario's captain and reference will depend exclusively on his will and, if he stays, he would do so in a secondary role. In that sense, regarding a decision about his future, the midfielder was blunt after the elimination against Academia: "That is what I care about the least. I need to process this anger and then it will be analyzed properly. I do not know, many situations happen, many things. That is what I think about the least".

• Paulo Díaz: His absence from the squads against Vélez and Racing fueled the feeling of "end of cycle," and although he has a contract until 2027, River is seriously considering any proposal that arrives.
• Fabricio Bustos: A calf injury sidelined him at the end of the year and, with Montiel established at right back, his prominence was diminished. Both parties see a change of scenery in 2026 as a positive move.
• Sebastián Boselli: Recalled to add defensive options, he barely played and is once again a candidate to leave. He could go out on loan again, depending on market opportunities.
• Facundo Colidio: He had a year full of ups and downs, with injuries, uncertainty about his position, and performance below expectations. He went from being a solid bet, with a renewed contract and a multimillion-dollar clause, to becoming a "sellable" player.

The particular case of Galoppo

Giulano Galoppo's situation requires a special mention. The former Banfield player has a clause in his loan that states that if he played 45 minutes in at least half of the matches of the year, River would be obliged to execute the purchase option.

That condition could have been met in the clásico between Millonario and Racing if the match had gone to extra time, which did not happen, leaving him on the edge with 26 out of 53 matches. In that scenario, the Núñez club will have to renegotiate with São Paulo if it wants to continue counting on the midfielder's services.