River requests transfer window extension after Costantini injury, but in no rush to sign a center back

A torn knee changed River's plans right as the transfer window was closing. The injury to Giorgio Costantini, who suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee ahead of the match against Independiente Rivadavia at the Monumental, forced the club into an emergency move: requesting an extension to register a replacement even though the transfer books had already closed.

With that extension secured, River now has a 10 day window to add a name to the back line. That said, this does not mean a signing is guaranteed. According to Gustavo Yarroch and Juan Balbi on Buen Día ESPN, the club is not pushing hard to close a deal for a center back, though the mere fact that it processed the extension shows the door remains open.

The names already floated that went nowhere

The search did not start now. River had already knocked on two specific doors and got the same answer both times: no. The club made offers for Francisco Álvarez, of Argentinos Juniors, and for Willer Ditta, of Cruz Azul, but both proposals were turned down. And not by a small margin: in Álvarez's case, River offered 3 million dollars for 50% of his rights, while Argentinos was asking 6 million for 70%.

In the last few hours a third candidate emerged: Juan Giménez, a 20 year old defender from Rosario Central who is coming back from a ligament tear and who played alongside Tobías Ramírez in the Under 17 and Under 20 national teams. There is genuine interest, but Central is reportedly "asking for a lot of money."

All of this hinges on one condition that could shape the rest of the story: the possible departure of Lucas Martínez Quarta or Lautaro Rivero. For now neither is leaving, though Rivero is seen as having "some more concrete chance of leaving," with interest from a club in the United Arab Emirates.

If both end up staying, the equation changes quite a bit. River already has that position well stocked with Nicolás Otamendi, Tobías Ramírez (now recovered from his own injury) and Facundo González, plus Costantini himself and Juan Carlos Portillo, both currently injured. There is another factor at play too: the club has already spent close to 67 million dollars on its nine signings this transfer window, so another big investment does not appear to be the plan.

They are not going to spend a large amount of money, but they will look at whether an opportunity comes up that works out financially. There is no decision made yet on bringing someone in, and that would depend on Rivero. If not, they would look at signing a center back in December.Juan Balbi

So as things stand, River's front office has the roster spot secured in case something comes up at a good price, but there is no urgency to force through an expensive deal. The resolution will hinge on Rivero's future: if he leaves, River will look for a replacement within the extension window; if he stays, everything gets pushed back to December.