Buenos Aires, January 20 (NA) -- Boca lost Colombian winger Marino Hinestroza at the close of the market and, amid a critical offensive panorama, will have to rely on young players to face the start of the 2026 Apertura Tournament. The negotiation for the Colombian winger definitively fell through in the last few hours, as the Argentine News Agency was able to confirm. When at Brandsen 805 they were waiting for the player to sign his contract and believed the agreement with Atlético Nacional was on track, Vasco da Gama appeared with a higher economic offer and secured the player. The Brazilian club offered six million dollars plus 20% of a future capital gain, conditions that modified the scenario and left Boca without the reinforcement that Juan Román Riquelme had wanted as a priority. At Xeneize, the surprise was total, as the previous Friday, Boca had sent an email assuring they would meet all the agreed economic conditions and also had Hinestroza's predisposition to wear the blue and gold jersey. However, between that moment and the final resolution, Atlético Nacional changed its stance and the player's destination ended up being Brazil, which generated displeasure both with the outcome and with the way the negotiation was handled. With the market near its closure and no margin to redirect the operation, Boca was left without the 23-year-old winger and with a weakened front line due to injuries: Miguel Merentiel suffered a tear against Olimpia and will be off the pitch for at least three weeks, a setback that is added to those of Edinson Cavani, with lower back pain, and Milton Giménez, affected by a pubalgia. Faced with this scenario, Lucas Janson appears as the main option to occupy the center of the attack in the debut against Riestra, despite having had only one start in 2025. Claudio Úbeda also decided to promote Iker Zufiaurre, a 20-year-old winger and one of the figures of the Reserve team, champions of the Proyección Tournament, to complete the offensive variants. Zufiaurre, born in Adela María, Córdoba, arrived at Boca in 2017 as an attacking midfielder and was adapting to different positions until he consolidated himself as a winger, with a good relationship with the goal and the ability to play between central defenders. He was runner-up of the U-20 Copa Libertadores in 2024, where he scored two goals in five matches, and that allowed him to make the leap to the professional squad. He debuted on April 3 against Nacional Potosí for the Copa Sudamericana and also added minutes in the Professional League against Atlético Tucumán.
