TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Report

Guillermo Barros Schelotto has moved on from his stint in charge of Boca Juniors to take the helm of the LA Galaxy. Yet a slice of the unending drama of Los Xeneizes’ bitter Buenos Aires rivalry with River Plate is following him to Southern California, according to a new media report.

Argentine outlet TyC Sports claims, intriguingly, that GBS is interested in signing River midfielder Ignacio Fernandez as a reinforcement for the Galaxy’s 2019 campaign.

The 29-year-old Argentinean is an attack-minded player capable of working both centrally or on the flanks and was a regular for Los Millonarios as they won last year’s Copa Libertadores, edging Schelotto’s Boca side in a famously combative and contentious final that had to be completed in Spain due to a violent attack on Boca’s team bus in the leadup to the second leg.

The report notes that Schelotto has held interest in Fernandez dating back to his days in charge of Lanus, but faces a tough task if he is to bring him into the fold in LA.

Beyond the challenge of fitting him into the Galaxy’s crowded roster and salary-budget outlook, GBS would have to convince River to part with a key player, and in doing so complete a deal with the man who, until recently, coached their fierce crosstown enemies.