Franco Cristaldo has decided on his next destination after terminating his contract with Brazilian first-division side Gremio.
The 29-year-old Argentinian, one of two midfield targets for Atlanta United along with Matias Galarza Fonda, will return to his home country and sign for Talleres through the end of the year. That’s according to a report from César Luis Merlo.
It was always going to be a little difficult to bring Cristaldo in without getting one of Atlanta’s larger salaries off the books, possibly via buyout. But with his move to Talleres reportedly secured, it presumably opens the door for Galarza to join Atlanta. Argentine media revealed on Wednesday that Galarza is already in the United States after saying goodbye to his River Plate teammates as he’s on the verge of finalizing a reported move to the Five Stripes. According to Tom Bogert, it’s a loan deal with a $3 million purchase option, while River will maintain a “significant” sell-on percentage. Galarza’s apparent arrival will almost certainly send Tomás Jacob to right back, where he’d start ahead of Ronald Hernández.
With this transfer saga appearing to come to an end, let us know what you think of this potential resolution down in the comments.
I had read that he was wanting to stay in S.A.. Too bad for us. A Cristaldo/Galarza midfield could’ve been nice. I was hopeful there would be a buyout to clear roster and salary room for both.
I was hoping we could get both somehow, but Galarza would fill a greater need, especially since we need a bit more oomph out of RB and Jacob should slot in over there.