End of the novel: Exequiel Zeballos leaves Boca and goes to Monza in Italy

The future of Exequiel Zeballos changed course in a matter of hours. When it seemed all set for the forward to continue his career at Parma, the emergence of Monza altered the scenario and ultimately unlocked a departure that Boca needed to finalize before the European transfer window closed.

According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Italian club accelerated in recent hours and reached an agreement with the management led by Juan Román Riquelme to acquire the player for 4 million euros (just over 4.5 million dollars). The deal also includes a particularly favorable condition for the Ribera club: they will retain 40% of any future sale of the forward.

The negotiation was closed under pressure, both due to the imminent closing of the transfer window in Europe and the contractual situation of the player from Santiago, whose contract with Boca was set to expire in December. This circumstance proved decisive for the institution to accept a considerably lower figure than the nearly 15 million dollars established in his release clause.

Monza ultimately prevailed in a contest that also saw other teams involved. Previously, Napoli had held discussions about Zeballos, and Parma had gained traction as a possible destination in recent hours, but it was the team managed by Ivan Juric that moved with greater determination and secured his signing.

The departure of Changuito, however, is not surprising. Since mid-year, when it was established that he would not continue at the club beyond December, it had become a priority for Boca to find a transfer to prevent the player from leaving with his contract in hand.

In this sense, while the approximately 4.5 million dollars may seem like a low figure in relation to the potential the forward has shown, the percentage retained by Boca opens the possibility of significantly increasing revenue should Zeballos be transferred again from Italian football.

Zeballos' numbers at Boca

Since his debut in the first team of blue and gold at the end of 2020, the player from Santiago has played 6,366 minutes, spread over 140 matches, in which he scored 16 goals, provided 16 assists, and received 14 yellow cards. In terms of titles, he won 5: 2 League Cups (2020 and 2022), 1 Argentine Cup (2019/20), 1 Professional League (2022), and 1 Argentine Supercup (2022).