The Italian club took a key step in the negotiations for the winger, whose contract with Xeneize ends at the end of the year. The management of Juan Román Riquelme will analyze the proposal while trying to avoid letting him leave for free
The future of Exequiel Zeballos seems to be getting closer to Europe. After reaching an agreement with the player regarding the terms of his contract, in recent hours Napoli made a formal offer to Boca to buy his transfer and opened a decisive phase in the negotiation.
Although official figures have not been disclosed, various media outlets claim that the proposal from the Italian club would be around 10 million dollars. Nevertheless, there are still aspects to resolve before closing the deal, including compliance with Financial Fair Play, which will require freeing up salary mass and finalizing some departures.
Even though it is still just a first formal approach, the news was received positively in the xeneize world due to the player's contractual situation. The "Changuito" contract ends on December 31, meaning that there are less than six months left before he can leave for free, something that the Ribera club has tried to avoid all year to generate some profit from his departure.
Napoli made a formal offer for Changuito Zeballos
It is worth remembering that previously, the management of Juan Román Riquelme offered him a renewal, but the player never responded, as his intention has always been to continue his career in European football and also to leave some financial gain for the club that raised him.
Now, knowing that it will be practically impossible to sell him for the value of his release clause (15 million euros), it will be Boca who must decide whether to accept the proposal from the Italian club or try to improve the conditions of the operation.
Meanwhile, conversations between both institutions will continue over the next few weeks. With the European transfer market open until the end of August, everything indicates that there will still be new negotiation instances, although the outlook suggests that the cycle of Changuito Zeballos is getting closer to its end.
Zeballos' numbers at Boca
Since his debut in the first team of blue and gold at the end of 2020, the Santiago native has played 6,366 minutes, distributed over 140 matches, in which he scored 16 goals, provided 16 assists, and received 14 yellow cards. In terms of titles, he has won 5: 2 League Cups (2020 and 2022), 1 Argentine Cup (2019/20), 1 Professional League (2022), and 1 Argentine Supercup (2022).
