While continuing with the preseason and preparing for the friendlies prior to the official debut on Sunday, January 25 in La Bombonera against Deportivo Riestra for the first day of Zone A of the 2026 Apertura Tournament, Boca Juniors He would receive good news shortly regarding the release of one of the foreign positions that he has occupied today and would enable him to hire another hypothetical reinforcement from abroad.
As he was able to find out Infobae, Chilean Williams Alarcón would obtain Argentine citizenship between January and Februaryso he would stop occupying a non-EU position and thus the Xeneize He would be in a position to add one more footballer outside of Argentina. Although no names of other possible reinforcements have been revealed so far, the spectrum will be expanded for a team that will fight throughout the year at the local level and in the Copa Libertadores.
It is worth mentioning that with the arrival of the Colombian Marino Hinestroza y the release of Paraguayan Bruno ValdezBoca will have six places for foreigners covered with the Chileans Alarcón and Carlos PalaciosSpanish Ander HerreraHinestroza and the Uruguayans Edinson Cavani and Marcelo Saracchiwho will be on loan at Celtic in Scotland until June of this year and that is why he does not free up that place. According to AFA regulations, squads can have a maximum of six non-EU nationals but only five are authorized to sign a team sheet in matches.
Alarcón, a 25-year-old midfielder with a past in Colo Colo, Unión La Calera, Ibiza in Spain and Huracán, had started the nationalization process last year (it is a legal requirement to have completed two years in the country and he reached the Globo in 2023 before landing in the Xeneize). In the current market he was about to pack his bags, since the club rejected a proposal from Necaxa of Mexico, considering it insufficient.
The plan of Claudio Ubeda It is then to have the foreigners Alarcón, Herrera, Palacios, Hinestroza and Cavani in this first semester without the need to speculate on leaving one off the roster (since Saracchi will not return until at least July). And, in the eventual event that Alarcón becomes considered a “local” player, then there will be one more gap to sign another footballer from abroad. It should also be noted that the Uruguayan Miguel Merentiel has already received Argentine citizenship.
As reported by the AFA authorities, the transfer market will close on Tuesday, January 20 at 6:00 p.m. Any club that transfers one of its players abroad will be authorized to incorporate until Tuesday, March 10. At the moment Boca has no management beyond those of the San Lorenzo players Gaston Hernandez (waiting for a response from Boedo regarding the price of his token) and Alexis Cuelloof which the Cyclone It owns 60% of the pass since the remaining percentage belongs to Almagro.
MILTON GIMÉNEZ, WITH PARAGUAYAN CITIZENSHIP
The recent Paraguayan nationalization of Milton Giménez transformed the horizon of offensive options for the team led by Gustavo Alfaro with a view to the 2026 World Cup, while posing a challenging scenario for the footballer from Bocawho will depend on his sporting present to turn this change into a real opportunity to represent the Albirroja at the biggest football event.
Although Giménez has already completed the procedures and has been authorized to wear the Paraguayan shirt, his arrival in the group of call-ups occurs in a particular context. His chances of making the final roster for the World Cup are currently scarcegiven that he was not part of the squad during the Qualifiers or in the recent preparation of the South American team. Giménez had at times a prominent role in the last year with Bocaespecially given the repeated absences of Edinson Cavani. In total, accumulate 17 goals in 59 games with the blue and gold shirt.
The 29-year-old attacker, son of a Paraguayan father, processed his dual nationality after a process motivated both by family ties and by the attraction of joining the national project that he leads. Alfaro. However, the competition is intense: the striker will have to fight for a place with big names like Antonio Sanabria, Gabriel Ávalos, Alex Arce, Ronaldo Martínez, Isidro Pitta y Adam Bareiro. Furthermore, his inclusion will depend on an outstanding performance during the start of the year with the team’s shirt. Bocakeys to aspire to one of the spots on the roster that will be announced at the end of May, just before the World Cup.
The next FIFA Date, in March, in which Paraguay will play two preparatory friendlies (with rivals and dates yet to be defined), appears as a decisive instance for those seeking to surprise and earn their place in the eyes of the coach. The official draw placed Paraguay in Group D, where they will face the United States, Australia and a rival from the European playoffs, which will arise from the duels between the Czech Republic, Ireland, Denmark and North Macedonia. The return of the Guaraní team to a World Cup after South Africa 2010 will be on June 12 in Los Angeles against the host, a high-impact debut.
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