The millionaire captain praised his compatriot and expressed his desire to share a squad with him, while the negotiation remains stalled
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River opened 2026 with a 1-0 victory over Millonarios in Montevideo, but the focus after the friendly quickly shifted to the transfer market. After the match, Juan Fernando Quintero spoke and once again put the name of Sebastián Villa on the table as a possible reinforcement.
The Colombian, who was captain in the first match of the year, did not hide his closeness with the forward and expressed support for his arrival in Núñez. "Regarding Villa,I am very close to him. He is a great player, but I think that the people who are supposed to talk about the matter are the ones who have to do it. I only know the quality of player he is, I know what he is like as a person and obviously I am going to defend that", he stated in the post-victory press conference.
Quintero, however, drew clear boundaries regarding his role in the negotiation. "Now, when it comes to negotiations, everyone knows that each person has their place. We, on our side, in sporting and football terms and as players, are not involved in that. As long as each person assumes their role and their decisions", he added, avoiding going into detail about the status of the talks.
Quintero es cercano a Villa
The interest between River and Villa has existed for weeks. In Núñez, the club considers the forward to be an important attacking option and the player himself has already expressed his desire to take a step forward in his career. However, a financial disagreement is keeping the transfer unsolved and his possible arrival is generating internal tensions behind closed doors.
Villa, meanwhile, has already said goodbye to Independiente Rivadavia and is waiting to define his future. Daniel Vila, president of the club from Mendoza, acknowledged contacts with Millonario and confirmed that there is a promised sale agreed with the player. In the meantime, at Millonario they are waiting for the conditions to come closer so that Quintero's wish can turn into a reinforcement.
When River plays again
After winning by the minimum margin against Millonarios at Gran Parque Central, La Banda will face Peñarol also in Uruguay. The match will be played on Saturday, January 17 at 10 p.m. at Estadio Campus de Maldonado.
The last time they faced each other was in 2015, in the third-place match of Copa Bandes. That duel was won by Carbonero 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
