Overview
- River Plate formally began negotiations on Thursday to bring Esequiel Barco back from Spartak Moscow after the club’s pursuit of Thiago Almada collapsed.
- Head coach Eduardo Coudet has endorsed Barco as a primary target to add creativity in midfield and the club’s technical staff are actively working the deal.
- Spartak is reportedly seeking more than $5 million for 50 percent of Barco’s economic rights, a valuation that River sees as the main obstacle to closing a transfer.
- Barco has expressed a desire to return to South America and was recently approached by Independiente and offered to Boca, which affects the market dynamics around his move.
- Since leaving River in 2024 Barco has played 74 matches for Spartak with 22 goals and 18 assists and won the Russian Cup, and his return would make him River’s sixth summer reinforcement if completed.