His name sounded everywhere. They said that he would return to the Junior de Barranquilla, a team in which he was in 2023, but from which he did not leave on very good terms. It was also assured that he had a meeting with the directors of Independiente Medellín to talk about his arrival and that, for a few thousand dollars, an agreement with the Argentine team could not be closed.
Quintero, in the end, arrived at América de Cali. Led by Tulio Gómez – Florentulio, they call him in Valle del Cauca because he has brought in players who seemed impossible to sign – the deal was closed for 3.5 million dollars, which was paid in installments. Juanfer signed a contract with the Americans for one year, but did not fulfill it. In June, after having financial disagreements with the team’s owners, he left for River Plate in Argentina, the team where he has done best in his career.
In fact, Quintero’s departure from América was the great story of the mid-2025 transfer market. When the Paisa soccer player arrived in Cali, they signed an “anti-River clause” with Racing, which said that during that year they could not transfer him to the millionaire team. For this reason, on December 3, the cast of Avellaneda asked the people of Valle del Cauca to pay 3 million dollars for having failed to comply with what they signed.
That novel ended easily. Another that had a quick end, but that generated a lot of expectation, was the one that starred James Rodríguez with his potential arrival at Junior de Barranquilla after ending his contract with the Spanish Rayo Vallecano. The Cucuteño soccer player spoke at his home in Medellín with Fuad Char, owner of the Barranquilla team and, although that generated excitement, nothing was concrete. The captain of the Colombian National Team ended up in Mexico.
Is there a novelty in the transfer market at the end of the year in our country?
In recent markets, World Cup soccer players arrived in Colombia, who shone with the Colombian National Team and with great international teams. One of the most anticipated arrivals in recent years in Medellín, for example, is that of Antioquia winger Juan Guillermo Cuadrado. However, it has never come to fruition.
However, it is estimated that another Colombian footballer, who has two World Cups under his belt and who could play in the first in North America in 2026, is close to closing his transfer to Atlético Nacional: the right back from Antioquia Santiago Arias.
The footballer, who was in Fortaleza in Brazil, arrived in Rionegro a couple of days ago in the company of his family. People received him well at the airport. There was celebration. Everything would indicate that, in the first days of next year, his signing for the green team would be finalized.
Also playing in Nacional is the Argentine Milton Casco, who was at River Plate for a long time and knows the sports director of the green team, Gustavo Fermani. Meanwhile, it is said that Colombian winger Nicolás Rodríguez, who plays for Orlando City in the United States, could also reinforce the Antioquia team.
However, for now, few teams have confirmed arrivals for the next season in Creole soccer. Inter de Bogotá – the team that replaced La Equidad – is the team that has confirmed the most hires: coach Ricardo Valiño arrived, as well as the players Larry Vásquez, Facundo Boné, Agustín Irazoque and Johan Caballero.
Millonarios has confirmed the signing of Carlos Darwin Quintero, who left Pereira, in addition to Mateo García, Sebastián Valencia and Julián Angulo. Santa Fe, for its part, confirmed the arrival of Pablo Repetto to the technical bench, and Deportivo Cali announced the hiring of Juan Dinenno, Ronaldo Pájaro, Fernando Álvarez and Pedro Gallese. For now, there is no great novel on this market.
How is the Colombian soccer market moving?
Mantilla will continue in dim
The Bogotá defender Kevin Mantilla will continue in the DIM in 2026. The 22-year-old footballer, trained in the minor divisions of Independiente Santa Fe, will be a key player for the Antioquia team to seek a place in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores next year. According to the known information, Medellín reached an agreement with Talleres de Córdoba, from Argentina, owner of his record, to extend the loan that began in 2025 until the end of 2026. The player is looking for the continuity that an injury did not allow him to have this year.
Mosquera, to Guarani football
Valle del Cauca winger Harold Santiago Mosquera had a good 2025 in Colombian soccer. The 30-year-old soccer player was one of the figures of Independiente Santa Fe. With the capital team he played 52 games, in which he scored 9 goals and gave 11 assists. For this reason, they “had their eye” on him from foreign football, although there were several local rented teams that wanted him. The footballer finally left the champion of the first half of the year for Cerro Porteño of Paraguay, one of the historic football teams in that country.
Cali has a World Cup goalkeeper
The experienced Peruvian goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, who was with his country’s team in the 2018 World Cup in Russia and was one of the figures of the Inca team in the qualifiers, was confirmed as the new goalkeeper of Deportivo Cali. The goalkeeper, 35 years old and with time at teams such as Universidad San Martín, Atlético Mineiro, Juan Aurich, Veracruz, Alianza Lima and Orlando City, arrived at the Valle del Cauca team, directed by Alberto Gamero, as one of the strong cards to seek the league title next year.
Muriel, close to being a “shark”
The coastal accent never left him. However, Luis Fernando Muriel has never played for Junior de Barranquilla, the team that most people in the Colombian Caribbean and Santo Tomás, Atlántico, the municipality where he was born, are fans of. He made his debut at Deportivo Cali and then went to Spain and Italy, where he shone, until he ended up at Orlando City. This weekend he was in Barranquilla and Teo Gutiérrez, on social networks, committed him to say that he would reach Junior next year. Muriel responded that “the ball is on the other side” and that it depends on the team owners.
