Senior Athletic Club captain Iker Muniain remains without a club after leaving at the end of his contract this summer, but was dealt a disappointing blow on Tuesday night. River Plate president Jorge Brito has confirmed that he did not make his dream move this summer.
Muniain is a self-proclaimed fan of River, and has already spoken of his desire to move to Buenos Aires and introduce him to El Monumental. Available as a free agent this summer, the two have been heavily linked this summer. Brito told ESPN (via AS Diary) that Muniain would have to look elsewhere.
“Maybe what happened with Iker has become public, but it happened with many high-level players who wanted to come. Many factors have to be. The first is that the player who wants to come can get in the position that he it is necessary and that the trainer considers that she is the desired one.
“There wasn't even a foreign place. But there was never a negotiation or a discussion to reach a serious level.”
River changed managers over the summer from Martin Demichelis, with Marcelo Gallardo returning from Saudi Arabia, who could also have a role. It seems likely that Muniain could leave European football, although there is little clarity on where he could go next. The 32-year-old arrived at Athletic as an 11-year-old, and has spent his entire career there.
