Midfielder Esequiel Barco, who played 127 games for River Plate and scored 17 goals, was sold to Russian football. The figure agreed by both managements was 16 million dollars, a very significant sum in the current state of Argentine football. In addition, River had paid 11 million dollars for his transfer, so it was a great deal.
The playmaker will make his debut in European football, having made a brief appearance at Independiente in 2016, which he crowned by winning the 2017 Copa Sudamericana, and having been sold to Atlanta United in the United States for 15 million dollars. After four years in North American football, River decided to acquire him on loan and, subsequently, make use of its purchase option.
Barco will not be the first Argentine player to join Spartak, but will join a list that includes defenders Clemente Rodríguez, Marcos Rojo, Nicolás Pareja and Juan Insaurralde, midfielders Cristian Maidana and Tino Costa and forwards Fernando Cavenaghi and Ezequiel Ponce. All of them arrived at the club between 2005 and the present.
Among the names being floated to replace the skilled midfielder are Bruno Zapelli of Athetico Paranaense in Brazil, Benjamin Dominguez of Gimnasia de La Plata, Pedro De La Vega of the Seattle Sounders in the United States and Lucas Robertone, who currently plays for Almeria in Spain.
With information from Argentine News
