River Plate was eliminated from the Copa Libertadores by Brazilian Internacional, but the team led by Martín Demichelis is well-placed both financially and socially — and keeps getting stronger. After signing 23-year-old striker Facundo Colidio and 32-year-old defender Ramiro Funes Mori in early August, the club is close to clinching two big names — Manuel Lanzini and Gonzalo “Pity” Martínez.

Lanzini is making his return to Argentine football. Lanzini had his football debut via River’s youth club in 2010, then aged just 17 years old. From there, he developed into one of the most promising talents in the country, before departing first to Brazilian side Fluminense and then to UAE side Al-Jazira. In 2015 he signed for Premier League side West Ham United, where he would play over 200 games, scoring 32 goals and providing 28 assists.

After failing to reach renewal terms with the English side, he’s returning to River, signing a deal until the end of next year.

He’s far from the only big name linked with River these days. Gonzalo “Pity” Martínez is also close to signing with the club, according to River Plate president Jorge Brito. Martínez was a key member of the team led by Marcelo Gallardo in 2018, and scored the famous third goal in River’s iconic win against Boca Juniors in the 2018 Copa Libertadores final.

“Our idea was to be able to seal the deal together with Lanzini’s,” Brito said about the potential deal to ESPN. “Things are going well but there are still issues that have to do with their playing rights that we hope can be fixed soon.”

These moves come just in time for the Copa de la Liga Profesional, the second tournament in Argentina’s Primera División which starts on August 17.

Independiente announces Mancuello move

Independiente, one of the big teams struggling against relegation, is also making moves. The team led by Ricardo Zielinski is fifth from the bottom and needs quick improvement in the upcoming fixtures. “We’re going to be announcing new signings soon,” said president Néstor Grindetti at the end of July and so far he’s kept his word.

Striker Alexis Canelo, 25, joined from Mexican side Tijuana. There were also some international additions, with 30-year-old Colombian defender Felipe Aguilar and 35-year-old Chilean fullback Mauricio Isla joining from Brazil’s Athletico Paranaense and Chile’s Universidad Católica respectively.

However, the biggest name of them all was undoubtedly that of Federico Mancuello. The 34-year-old midfielder is beloved at the club as he came through its youth ranks. He was also instrumental in Independiente’s Copa Sudamericana win in 2010 and their return to the Primera División in 2014 after being relegated the previous year.

Another club that announced signings was Vélez Sarsfield, reaching a deal to add strikers Braian Romero, 32, and Francisco Pizzini, 29, to their squad.

River Plate gets record transfer

However, talent is also moving away from the Argentine league. River Plate announced a big sale, as 22-year-old striker Lucas Beltrán has departed for Italian side Fiorentina for US$27 million. It’s one of the biggest moves in recent Argentine football history, matching that of Lautaro Martínez to Inter Milan.

However, it still falls short of the record still held by Sergio Agüero — his transfer to Atlético Madrid in 2006 was worth US$28 million. It’s worth noting that Enzo Fernández’s move from Benfica to Chelsea earned River US$52 million, although as part of a contract clause and not the signing fee.

Rosario Central announced the biggest sale in the history of the club as it sees Alejo Véliz depart for Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur. The deal, reported at US$17 million by ESPN, is the highest ever for the Rosario club, surpassing those of World Cup-winners Giovani Lo Celso to PSG (US$10 million) and Ángel Di María (US$8 million). 

Meanwhile, Boca Juniors sold 22-year-old midfielder Alan Varela to Portuguese giants FC Porto for US$12 million.