River Plate officially confirmed the arrival of midfielder Thiago Almada, thwarting Flamengo‘s plans, who had reached a verbal agreement with the player for the remainder of the season.
The transfer saga involving Thiago Almada came to an end this Monday (10). Argentina’s River Plate confirmed the signing of the 25-year-old midfielder, who penned a deal with the Buenos Aires club until December 2030.
The deal, which involved approximately R$128 million paid to Atlético de Madrid, marks the largest transaction in Argentine football history.
The outcome represents a significant blow for Flamengo. The Rio de Janeiro club, which held advanced talks and reached a verbal agreement with the athlete, saw negotiations cool down due to the player’s family desire to return to his home country.
Interestingly, Flamengo‘s offer was R$20 million higher than the bid accepted by the Spanish club, underscoring that the choice was guided by personal reasons and not solely financial ones.
Reinforcement Hunt and Squad Impact
Following the frustration with Almada, Flamengo attempted to redirect their attention to winger Luiz Henrique, currently at Zenit. However, the staff of the Brazil national team player ruled out any possibility of a departure from Russia at this time, leaving the Rubro-Negro without immediate options in the transfer market for an attacking midfield role.
According to the M360 Team, Almada’s decision has two sides:
“It’s natural for a player to want to play in his home country if there’s no European offer. From a career perspective, however, he gave up immediate international prominence in Brazilian football to bet on River Plate‘s restructuring.”
Full Focus on the Libertadores
With no time to dwell on the transfer market loss, Flamengo turns its attention to a decisive commitment. This Wednesday (12), the team led by the coaching staff takes the field at the Mineirão, at 9:30 PM (Brasília time), to face Cruzeiro.
The match is for the first leg of the Copa Libertadores Round of 16. The clash will be broadcast live on free-to-air television by Rede Globo, while the M360 Team will bring all the behind-the-scenes and information directly from Belo Horizonte, with complete coverage for the Rubro-Negro fanbase.
M360 Team
