After several weeks of negotiations and his notable absence from key matches, the young player from Chaco extended his contract with the Millonario club
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After a longer-than-expected negotiation, Santiago Lencina finally signed his contract renewal with River until December 2029, with a release clause of 100 million euros. The agreement was finalized after several weeks of uncertainty, during which the 20-year-old midfielder from Chaco was left out of the substitutes' bench in the matches against Independiente Rivadavia and Boca, two of the club's most important games of the year.
Lencina had been one of the young players in whom Marcelo Gallardo placed the most trust during the second half of 2025. He participated in Copa Libertadores matches and started in seven rounds of the Clausura, where he demonstrated solidity and character. For this reason, his exclusion from the most recent matches sparked rumors of a contractual dispute rather than a football-related decision.
Las negociaciones se habían extendido más de lo esperado
Although both the player and the management agreed to continue the relationship, the negotiations lasted longer than expected, and the call to sign the new contract only came this week. With the agreement now finalized, Lencina is expected to be among those drafted for next Sunday's match against Vélez, which could mark his return to the substitutes' bench.
Through this renewal, River once again secures one of its most promising talents, following the contractual protection strategy applied to other young players with high potential and market value, thus bringing the total to nine players with a 100 million euro clause, who are:
Facundo Colidio
Bautista Dadín
Lautaro Rivero
Alex Woiski
Matías Galarza Fonda
Juan Carlos Portillo
Thiago Acosta
Cristian Jaime
Santiago Lencina
Lencina's numbers at River
The midfielder made his debut with River's first team on August 4, 2024, in the 0-0 draw against Unión de Santa Fe, when Marcelo Escudero was serving as interim coach following Martín Demichelis's departure. Since then, he has accumulated 21 matches and three goals (two against Instituto and one against San Martín de San Juan), all scored during the Clausura.
