Waiting for Velasco, Super Boca 2025 begins to take shape with Ander Herrera, Alarcón and Battaglia

Boca does not stop its march: not even the players on the bicycles that Fernando Gago dusted off from the times of Carlos Bianchinor the leaders who add reinforcements for a year that includes competition in the Club World Cup. While the team trained in double shifts in Boca Predio and Ayrton Costa passed the medical examination, Ander Herrera, Rodrigo Battaglia and Williams Alarcón managed to unblock the exits of their clubs in the next few hours to agree on their arrivals to a team that has not yet finished its foray into the transfer market.

“I am very happy with this step. I will give everything for this shirt. I spoke with Alan Velasco and I hope he will be my new teammate”wished Costa, who joined from the Royal Antwerp from Belgium after Boca transferred 3.5 million dollars for his pass and is excited to reunite with who was his side in Independiente.

Although it was not a request from the coach, but rather a name that the Football Council approached, the 25-year-old defender offers alternatives: “I played as a full-back but I also really like to play as a centre-back, I think that’s my strength.” , he acknowledged.

With the former Independiente and Platense already inside, Boca accelerated in the afternoon for three other reinforcements, among them the one with the greatest impact: the Basque Ander Herrerawho finally agreed to terminate his relationship with Athletic Bilbao to fulfill his dream of playing for Bombonera.

According to Spanish media, including sports Markthe Spanish club – with which he had a relationship until June – gave the 35-year-old player permission to negotiate the conditions of his contract with the Argentine team, which would be two years (open to negotiating the extension of the second year in December ).

Among the conditions of the release of the man who was a teammate of Lionel Messi and Ángel Di María in Paris Saint-Germain and played 189 games during six seasons – spread over two different stages – in Bilbao, Boca could commit to playing a friendly in San Mamés . Regarding the contract, the footballer will travel to Buenos Aires next week to sign it.

The bomb of the Argentine soccer transfer market arrived without any novel behind it: in just a few daysErnesto Valverde agreed to part with an emblematic player of the club but with little experience in the last tournament (only three games as a starter) and Boca had already arranged conditions for some time with the midfielder who trained in Zaragoza and went through Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, where he met first with Marcos Rojo and Sergio Romero and then with Edinson Cavani (in addition to Messi and Di María).

Of course, Herrera’s desire weighed, as he has expressed his sympathy for the Almirón defeated Colo-Colo 1-0 for the fifth date of group F of the Copa Libertadores. That day he shared some time with the bar at one of the stadium’s ends.

“Boca is the Argentine team that attracts me the most because of the fans, because of the passion it generates. I have 10 or 12 t-shirts. To my father, when he came to Argentina and was on the field, I asked him to please call me on the home phone so that he could make me listen to Boca’s departure,” he said then. In a few days, he is expected to hear live from the fans who will receive him with honors in La Boca. However, the efforts did not end in Spanish.

In addition to those already insured Carlos Palacios -the forward who arrived from Colo-Colo for 4.8 million dollars and became the first reinforcement of 2025- and Ayrton Costathe leadership headed by Juan Román Riquelme advanced in the last hours the negotiations for Rodrigo Battaglia y Williams Alarcon.

The case of the 33-year-old player who has been active abroad for a decade had been left in the hands of Atlético Mineirowhich finally, at Boca’s request, reviewed the contract clause and accepted the offer of 1.25 million dollars. So, Gago will have the 2 he asked for. It is expected that the man who started as a midfielder but established himself as a central scorer – this is how he played in the Copa Libertadores that his team lost to Botafogo – and pushed to leave Brazil will travel in the next few hours to undergo a medical examination. The former Huracán’s bond would also be for two years.

Right from the Globo The other addition will arrive for Gago, because the club leaders agreed to the transfer of the Chilean midfielder Williams Alarconone of the figures of the last tournament. According to reports, after Huracán’s counteroffer, Boca will put in more money (around 2.5 million dollars) and will absorb in the operation an old debt that Parque Patricios had with Franco Cristaldo’s transfer, of about US$800,000.

After the departures of Gary Medel, Christian Medina, Paul Fernandez y Nicolas Valentini And of the five additions already secured, Boca will not withdraw from the market after a 2024 in which it did not fight for titles and qualified for the 2025 Copa Libertadores thanks to Vélez’s title. “Let’s go for two or three more,” was heard saying in the last hours in Ezeiza.

The next target will be Alan Velasco, whose negotiations are already advanced. But for this Super Boca there doesn’t seem to be anything impossible. Or yes? The great ambition is to add Agustín Marchesín since with Chiquito Romero’s injury – he will undergo another operation on his right knee – the goal was resentful. However, Gremio would not be willing to negotiate because they have just sold their substitute goalkeeper, Caique Santos. Gustavo Quinteros, the champion coach with Fortín, asked to renew his contract that ends in December. The alternative would be Hernán Galíndez, from Globo.