Amid rumors of a possible exit, Martín Aráoz spoke about the current situation of the goalkeeper at Millonario and his support for Santiago Beltrán.
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Franco Armani is going through an unprecedented moment in his long cycle at River. After nearly a decade as the undisputed owner of the goal, the experienced goalkeeper has lost ground, accumulating several months without continuity and his future at the club is starting to be surrounded by questions.
In this context, his representative, Martín Aráoz, broke the silence and provided details about the player's current situation. At 39 years old, and after a long period of inactivity marked by physical problems he has been dealing with since the beginning of the year, the goalkeeper is facing the final stretch of his contract, which ends at the end of the year and currently has no concrete progress for a renewal.
Beyond the rumors about a possible exit in the next market, Aráoz was clear in discounting ongoing negotiations, although he left a door open filled with symbolism: "He said at the time that it was his dream to say goodbye at Atlético Nacional, but there are a lot of things that need to happen. If it happens and there’s an option, we will discuss it. It would be a movie ending, but there’s nothing".
The representative of Armani did not rule out a return to Atlético Nacional.
At the same time, he set a limit within Argentine football: "I don’t see him in another Argentine team. He is a River fan. Here he wouldn’t play for any club".
While Armani works to overcome a fibrosis in his right soleus, the millionaire goal has found a new owner in Santiago Beltrán. The 21-year-old took advantage of his opportunity and established himself with outstanding performances, which relegated the historic captain to the bench for Wednesday's match against Gimnasia de La Plata at the Monumental for the quarter-finals of the Apertura Tournament.
Far from causing conflict, those around the goalkeeper highlight his stance. "He is happy because he was able to come out of this break. Perhaps he will be bigger than everyone for accepting to go to the bench.He prioritizes the group over the personal. As captain, he supports and helps", explained Aráoz. He added: "Many times he thinks of the group, not of himself. We are talking about Franco, the River fans know him, he has never had a problem, always keeping a low profile".
Armani supports Santiago Beltrán
In fact, Armani himself played a key role in the growth of his replacement. According to his representative, it was he who pushed for Beltrán's continuity within the squad at a time when his loan exit was being analyzed. "Santiago is his pup. Two years ago he told me: ‘Martín, a kid has come up here who has many good qualities’. Today it can be said because a lot of time has passed. In December they specifically consulted him and he gave all his support. Don’t loan him out, if he gets the chance he will be fine. Look at the coincidences, he got the chance, he is doing well", he recounted.
"I know that he is happy because Santiago is a good kid. It happened this way. He supported him at the time and continues to support him. That is important, talking about a person like that in these strange moments is important", he added.
Armani's numbers at River
Since his arrival in early 2018, the native of Casilda has played 32,850 minutes in the Millionaire jersey, distributed over 365 matches, of which in 158 he remained unbeaten, while in the rest he conceded 287 goals. In his more than 8 years at the Núñez institution, Pulpo has won 10 titles: 1 Copa Libertadores (2018), 1 Recopa Sudamericana (2019), 1 Copa Argentina (2019), 2 Professional Leagues (2021 and 2023), 2 Champions Trophy (2021 and 2023), and 3 Argentine Supercups (2017, 2019, and 2023)
