River scores millions as Fernández becomes record signing in Premier League

Argentine football giant River Plate has been struggling on the sporting front, recently recording the club’s worst start to a season since 1911. But it has received some welcome news off the field: the club is set to cash in following midfielder Enzo Fernández’s historic transfer to Manchester City. The 2022 World Cup winner became one of the most expensive signings in the world on Tuesday, after the Sky Blues announced his transfer from Chelsea for €145 million (US$165 million). The move means the Argentine player is now tied with Swede Alexander Isak as the most expensive transfer in Premier League history, and the fourth ever in world football. While the London-based club will undoubtedly be happy to have made a profit after spending €121 million (US$140 million) on Fernández in 2022, the news was also welcomed in Buenos Aires. That’s because River Plate holds part of Fernández’s training rights, with the midfielder having come through the Millonario’s academy since the age of six. Under FIFA’s transfer rules, clubs that trained a player between the ages of 12 and 23 are entitled to solidarity payments whenever the player is transferred before their contract expires. The solidarity payments amount to 5% of the total transfer fee, with River entitled to 3.5% — some US$5.8 million — payable within the next 30 days. The remaining 1.5% will be divided among Argentine club Defensa y Justicia — where Fernández first broke through in the Argentine top tier on loan in 2020 — Portuguese outfit Benfica, and Chelsea themselves. A solid investment The solidarity payments will bring the figure River has collected from the various transfers Fernández has been involved in to more than US$66 million, extending his lead as the Millonario’s best return for a player. River first collected €18 million (just under US$21 million) when Fernández was sold to Portuguese outfit Benfica in July 2022. The sale also stipulated that the Argentine club would retain a 25% stake in any future transfer, which gave the Millonario an additional payday in January 2023, when, following Fernández’s stunning performances at the 2022 World Cup, Chelsea signed the midfielder. At the time, River received nearly €35 million (US$40 million), plus an additional US$5 million in solidarity payments. Thus, Fernández remains comfortably ahead of Franco Mastantuono, who went to Real Madrid for €45 million (US$52 million) in August 2025, and Javier Saviola’s €36 million (US$42 million) move to Barcelona in 2001. The extra income will undoubtedly help River’s treasury after the Argentine football giant spent nearly US$70 million on signings this season. The last transfer window saw the Millionario live up to its nickname by hiring 2022 World Cup winners Thiago Almada and Ángel Correa — the latter for an Argentine football record fee of €20 million (US$23 million) — as well as lesser-known players such as Tobías Andrada, Francisco Ortega and Mauro Arambarri. Correa and Almada weren’t the only Qatar 2022 winners to join the squad, with defender Nicolás Otamendi arriving on a free transfer, with Marcos Acuña and Gonzalo Montiel already on the team.