Despite receiving offers, River Plate decided not to accept any and to retain the defender at Núñez. After the victory over Gimnasia, Marcelo Gallardo spoke publicly on the topic and cleared up doubts. "He is an important player," he said. For the start of 2026, Gallardo chose to begin the year with Lucas Martínez Quarta and Lautaro Rivero as the starting central pair, while Paulo Díaz appears as one of the main alternatives along with Ulises Giménez and Juan Carlos Portillo. "He had the possibility to leave, but we found that the offers were not sufficient because we consider him a very important, top-level player," the coach explained at a press conference. The "Muñeco" also highlighted the player's response during the preseason and confirmed that he will continue to be taken into account: "We saw his response, he did well, and we talked that if he stayed he would consider him. He accepted with pleasure and said let's move forward." "I talk to him every day," Gallardo added.
