The ongoing saga between Iker Muniain and River still has a few chapters left to unfold. Initially, it was believed that the discussion around midfielders in this extended transfer window, which runs until August 31, would conclude with Felipe Peña’s return. However, the recent meeting in Spain between vice president Matías Patanian and the representative of the free agent, who recently departed Athletic Bilbao, suggests that the situation remains unresolved and open to further developments.
The meeting, described as highly positive by the club, occurred during a trip by the executive to Europe specifically for this purpose (not for any potential negotiations with Real Madrid regarding Franco Mastantuono, as rumored). It served to firsthand assess Iker’s strong desire to join River Plate, although nothing has been finalized regarding his future. Now, Martín Demichelis needs to decide whether he agrees with the potential signing (nothing proceeds without his approval) and will contact Iker in the coming hours to convey the final decision.
Additionally, a significant factor influencing the decision is the foreign player quota: despite Paulo Díaz obtaining Argentine citizenship on Thursday, freeing up a spot, River Plate already has the maximum five foreign players permitted by the AFA to be registered for local competitions (Agustín Sant’Anna, Sebastián Boselli, Nicolás Fonseca, Miguel Borja, and Adam Bareiro, who has yet to complete the process), although they may register a sixth player.
In that vein, if this novel ends as the 31-year-old from Pamplona dreams, his arrival could be seen more with an eye on this Libertadores and the 2025 Club World Cup. However, River also needs to decide which reinforcements will be left out of the round of 16 series against Talleres, as CONMEBOL allows five changes to the squad list, and with Muniain’s potential arrival, it would make seven additions.
“Appearing at the Monumental is one of the options I consider, which attracts me. Besides Athletic Bilbao, which is the club of my life, I feel a strong emotional bond with River. My passion has grown, and I’ve been following the club,” Iker said a month ago in a conversation with Marca, expressing his love for the club and his desire to join.
These desires will soon reveal whether they become reality or remain mere wishes. The truth is, from River’s perspective, beyond Patanian’s meeting with his agent, signing Muniain was not a priority. As an exceptional case, it could be considered the icing on the cake of a transfer market where the leadership first filled the six vacancies they deemed necessary.