Flamengo Leads Race for Thiago Almada as River Plate Bows Out

Flamengo now has a clear path in the race to sign Thiago Almada after River Plate withdrew from negotiations. The Argentine club cannot financially match the Brazilian side's offer and chose not to increase its bid to Atlético de Madrid.

River Plate's proposal reached $20 million, while Flamengo submitted a $30 million bid. With the Argentine market transacting in U.S. dollars, this price gap made it impossible for the Buenos Aires club to remain in contention. In the video above, Bernardo Ramos breaks down the financial details behind the deal and analyzes the market outlook for the Vélez Sarsfield academy graduate.

European Football Outlook and Squad Depth

Despite rumors linking Almada to European clubs such as Juventus and Inter, Bernardo believes it is unlikely that a top continental powerhouse would spend that amount on a squad rotation player. Almada has served as a backup at Atlético de Madrid, did not play in the World Cup final, and had an unremarkable stint at Lyon, enjoying his strongest recent performances in Brazilian football.

According to Bernardo, a potential transfer to Juventus would see Almada sitting behind players like Ildiz and Francisco Conceição in the pecking order, just as he would face stiff competition from Nicolò Barella and Mkhitaryan at Inter. The Italian club, recent European finalists against Paris Saint-Germain, already possesses a well-established squad core.