River accelerates for Lucas Cepeda and finalizes his arrival from Colo-Colo

After the failed arrival of Román Vega, who ultimately joined Zenit of Russia, River doesn't want any more surprises in the transfer market and is moving decisively to sign Lucas Cepeda, a versatile left-footed player who stood out this season at Colo-Colo.

With the recent sale of Adam Bareiro to Fortaleza for about 3.2 million dollars, the Millonario freed up a foreign player slot that it plans to fill with the Chilean, a key figure for Cacique in 2025: 22 matches, 5 goals, and 2 assists. Marcelo Gallardo, who had already shown interest in the player since the quarterfinals of the 2024 Copa Libertadores, envisions him both as a winger and as a left back.

River's management, led by Jorge Brito, submitted a formal offer of 4.5 million dollars for 70% of the transfer rights, successfully meeting the Chilean club's demands. Now, after several negotiations, the parties have reached a verbal agreement and the final details are expected to be settled in the coming days.

Meanwhile, sources in Chile acknowledge that the player's priority was to make the leap to Europe (Bologna and Torino had been closely monitoring him), but the Millonario convinced Colo-Colo with a proposal that would allow the Chilean club to retain a percentage for a future sale, preventing him from leaving directly through the 5 million dollar release clause.

If there are no setbacks, Cepeda will become River's second signing alongside Maximiliano Salas, who activated his release clause from Racing to join Gallardo's squad.