Ian Subiabre: one of River Plate's 'pearls' linked with Barça

The excellent sporting present of FC Barcelona means that the main 'pearls' of South American football sound like possible alternatives in the medium and long term for the culé team. Beyond the issue of 'Fair Play' financial, there are many young players who dream of wearing the Blaugrana shirt and, in Argentina, one of the latest names linked to Barça is that of Ian Subiabre.

The 18-year-old player, from River Plate's youth academy, already has one goal and one assist in his first 19 appearances with the 'millionaire' first team. His market value currently exceeds one million euros and, for the moment, he only has a contract until the end of 2026.

In that sense, the latest information puts Subiabre on the radar of the sports management headed by Deco. The player from Comodoro Rivadavia will have the opportunity to showcase himself at the U-20 World Cup in Chile with the 'albiceleste' and, in addition to the culés, Chelsea also sounds like a possible destination for the striker.

Versatility and explosiveness in attack: this is how Ian Subiabre plays

Ian's main characteristic is his ability to overflow on both wings. The 18-year-old player is naturally right-footed, but he can also attack without problems on the left or the center, as an attacking midfielder or 'false 9'.

Physically, he is a classic player: he is 1.71 m tall and his speed and dribbling ability are remarkable. With River's reserve team, he scored 7 goals and 8 assists in 30 games, records that led coach Marcelo Gallardo to call him up regularly to the first team.

Ian Subiabre in an Argentine league match with River Plate

Although, for the moment, the player seems to feel comfortable in Buenos Aires, his renewal has taken longer than expected by the Núñez club. If Barça had the possibility of negotiating a transfer at a lower price in 2026, Subiabre's chances of making the leap to Europe as a Blaugrana footballer would undoubtedly improve significantly.

For the culés, Ian could be a luxury reinforcement for the reserve team, as long as Juliano Belletti's team manages to return to Primera RFEF this season. Otherwise, the Argentine would arrive to be loaned to another club where he can have greater continuity.

River Plate seeks to 'tie down' Ian Subiabre with a record clause

However, in Argentina, his renewal with the River Plate team is taken for granted, since the 'millionaires' would have made the signing of his new contract a condition for letting the striker go to the U-20 World Cup.

Unlike the calls for the senior national teams, clubs are not obliged to release their players for continental tournaments of youth divisions, such as qualifiers, world cups and U-20 European championships.

In principle, River would have 'tied down' Ian Subiabre with a contract for three more years, until December 2028, with a record clause of 100 million euros.

This year, the 'millionaires' already closed the most expensive sale in the history of Argentine football with the transfer of Franco Mastantuono to Real Madrid. The 'Casa Blanca' paid 45 million net plus variables that can raise the price of the 18-year-old winger to 63 'kilos'.

Barcelona, after Vitor Roque, does not plan to make large outlays for South American 'pearls'. Therefore, if the renewal of the player from Comodoro Rivadavia is confirmed, the culés would automatically be excluded from any negotiation.