Buenos Aires, December 19 (NA) -- Central midfielder Fausto Vera has been confirmed as the first reinforcement for River Plate for the 2026 season. According to the Argentine News Agency, the midfielder was presented today after passing his medical examination and joined the 'Millionaire' on loan for one year, with an obligation and option to buy. For his arrival, River will have to pay 500 thousand dollars to Atlético Mineiro of Brazil, in addition to the fact that, if they want to buy his pass, the purchase option amount reaches four million dollars. Marcelo Gallardo has his first reinforcement for a 2026 in which he will have to change his team's face and be optimistic about the dispute of the South American Cup, and it is Fausto Vera, a 25-year-old central midfielder. Emerging from the youth ranks of Argentinos Juniors, Vera has extensive experience in the national youth teams, having been captain of the Under-23 team and part of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, held in 2021. In his early days, after debuting in the First Division in 2018, Vera took time to earn a place in the midfield of the Paternal-based team, which is characterized by giving a place to players who come from its youth ranks, until he left the club in 2022, moving to Corinthians of Brazil for seven million dollars for 70% of his pass. At 'Timão', he played 96 matches in three years and was sold in the middle of the 2024 season, after losing continuity in the local tournament, to Atlético Mineiro, which bought him for five million dollars. At Mineiro, Vera reunited with Gabriel Milito, the coach he had had at Argentinos, and reached the final of the Copa Libertadores, being a starter in the series in which they eliminated River in the semifinals with an aggregate score of 3-0, although they lost the final to the Brazilian Botafogo, by 3-1. In the current season, with Jorge Sampaoli as coach, Vera was once again a runner-up at the international level, this time in the South American Cup and losing the final to Lanús, although he had much less participation in the starting team, starting from the beginning in 21 of the 32 matches he played, so the 'Galo' opted for his loan. IP Fausto Vera signed a contract on loan for one year, stated that he had arrived at 'the biggest club in Argentina' and will have the tough task of replacing an idol of the red-banded club: the experienced midfielder Enzo Pérez, whose link with the club expires at the end of this year.
