It’s hardly a surprise but now it’s official. Fiorentina announced this morning that Lucas Beltrán has been loaned to River Plate for a €500,000 fee with an obligatory purchase option around €6.5 million, according to Diario Olé
. Cesar Luis Merlo adds that the Viola will get 50% of his next move. Beltrán has signed a contract that runs until 2030 and has already linked up with River in Alicante for preseason training.It’s a disappointing close to a chapter that opened with major expectations. Beltrán
was bought from River back in 2023 for €20 million with the expectation that he’d fill the Dušan Vlahović-shaped hole at center forward. While he was sporadically productive—a string of 7 games straight with a goal or assist in 2024—it became immediately apparent that he isn’t a traditional center forward so much as an energetic number 10. He pressed well but his movement off the ball, holdup play, and inability to beat his man meant that he didn’t score. 16 goals in 98 appearances tells the whole story.
That wasn’t all Beltrán’s fault, of course. His scoring numbers were, in hindsight, a product of the fantastic ecosystem Marcelo Gallardo created at the Monumental. He was always a clunky fit up front, lacking the shooting to be a 9 and the creativity to be a 10. I still think he’d thrive in a deeper role, where his energy and intelligence would let him serve as an off-ball threat and a pest out of possession, but that’s purely academic.
It felt like el Vikingo’s days were numbered when he was loaned out to Valencia last summer. His time with los Murciélagos was more of the same: he finished with just 3 goals in 30 appearances (and just 1 in league play). That wasn’t enough to convince Carlos Corberán to make the move permanent, setting the stage for this homecoming.
Beltrán should fit right in at River. His 5 years at the club means he should slot right back in even though he’s never worked with new manager Eduardo Coudet. He’ll link up with fellow Viola exes Germán Pezzella and Lucas Martínez Quarta and should push for a starting job in Coudet’s 4-4-2. River Plate came second in the Apertura and will hope to challenge for the Clausura, so Beltrán will be playing meaningful games that could lead to silverware. If it goes well enough, he could even elbow his way back into international contention.
It’s a good move for everyone involved. El Vikingo returns to familiar territory and title contention. River gets the sort of underrated player that can help stitch together a side in a way that statistics don’t capture. And Fiorentina gets out from under Beltrán’s salary, which I’ve seen reported as anywhere between €2.3 million and €3.7 million. Paratici’s taken another step in his quest to slash payroll and create a leaner squad, which is good, but I’ll still miss Beltrán. He never reached the Valhalla an Argentina striker wearing the 9 shirt in Florence aspires to but he was a bustling, committed professional who always gave it his all.
Buena suerte, Lucas, y gracias por todo.
