Boca
has only one way to mitigate the blow of being left out of the
Copa Libertadores,
that great "obsession" that year after year keeps Boca fans awake at night, and that is by winning the
Copa Sudamericana.
To do this, they will have to invest heavily in the mid-year transfer market and look for someone who will give a leap in quality to a team that left a poor image in the first rounds of the Professional League Cup.
And there is already a name listed.
This is
Giorgian De Arrascaeta
, Libertadores champion with Flamengo in 2019 and 2022 and with a contract until December 2026. And the winks that the 29-year-old Uruguayan made to Xeneize on different occasions excite the fans.
However,
Marcos Braz,
vice president of Fla, was blunt regarding this possibility: "They are going to have to sell La Bombonera to take De Arrascaeta," Braz told Brazil's O Globo sports portal.
"I'm from Boca. As a child I always had Riquelme as an idol, so I have great affection for the club. He was one of the best footballers I saw play,"
he said in statements to Fox Sports Radio in 2019.
And then he told what his dream is:
"Hopefully one day I can have the opportunity to play for Boca. It's not the time yet, it's my first year at Flamengo and we are achieving great things, but I would like to play for Bombonera
," he added. back then.
De Arrascaeta is a fixture in Marcelo Bielsa's team.
Photo: EFE/Gastón Britos
De Arrascaeta, 29 years old, has played for "Mengao" since 2019, the year in which the Rio team won its second Copa Libertadores with the agonizing victory against River Plate, 2 to 1, in the only final that was played in Lima , Peru.
The Uruguayan midfielder's career began at Defensor Sporting (2012-2015) and then he was transferred to Cruzeiro (2015-2018).
In Flamengo, De Arrascaeta played 255 games, scored 63 goals and won 11 titles: Copa Libertadores (2), Brasileirao (2), Copa do Brasil (1), Torneo Carioca (3), Recopa Sudamericana (1) and Brazilian Super Cup (2).
The Uruguayan showed his sympathy for Boca a few months ago when he expressed on social networks his refusal to play for River, given the possibility of taking part in the negotiation for the incorporation of his compatriot Nicolás De La Cruz to Flamengo.