Buenos Aires, December 28 (NA) – River Plate continues to make steady progress in the transfer market, and after signing Fausto Vera and Aníbal Moreno, the team coached by Marcelo Gallardo is actively working to secure a left-back for the 2026 season. According to a report from the Argentine News Agency, the main targets are Alexandro Bernabeu and Elías Báez; it will be one or the other as potential replacements for Milton Casco, who became a free agent and is close to signing with Atlético Nacional. 'Muñeco' had his sights set on 21-year-old Román Vega, a product of Argentinos Juniors currently playing for Zenit St. Petersburg in Russia, and 20-year-old Julio Soler, developed at Lanús and now at Bournemouth in England, but both options were discarded, forcing the board led by Stefano Di Carlo to look elsewhere. The addition of a left-back is crucial for 'La Banda' due to the triple competition they will face (Professional League, Copa Sudamericana, and Copa Argentina), as they only have Marcos Acuña in that position and a potential injury to the 2022 World Cup champion could leave them without a natural replacement. Regarding Bernabeu, a player for Internacional in Brazil, River's board has already submitted a first offer for a loan. While 'El Ciclón' needs to sell players to address its economic crisis, the recent transitional board headed by Sergio Costantini would make it nearly impossible for them to agree to let the defender leave. However, River's board will continue to monitor the player's situation with the idea of making an offer if the Bernabeu deal falls through. Báez played 60 matches for the blue-and-red team and established himself in Damián Ayude's system. Nevertheless, the offer was rejected, and it seems that the Porto Alegre club would only let the defender leave if it is a permanent transfer. For now, the millionaire club has not contacted the Brazilian team again after the refusal, but the former 'Granate' remains the primary option to reinforce the left-back position for the next season. As for Elías Báez, the context surrounding the 21-year-old player at San Lorenzo would not be ideal for finding a way out to Núñez.
