Leonardo Godoy, Julio Vaccari's first reinforcement at Independiente: he arrives from Brazil, was Neymar's teammate, and the Reds will pay him in four easy installments.

The first half of the season was positive for Independiente , despite being eliminated in the semifinals of the Apertura Tournament at the hands of Huracán. Qualifying for the round of 16 of the Sudamericana , an unbeaten home record, a solid domestic points tally, and continued presence in the Copa Argentina left them in a good position for what's to come. But, of course, they need to strengthen their squad to continue growing. And in that sense, Julio Vaccari already has his first reinforcement.

It's Leonardo Godoy , the Atlético Paranaense right-back who wore the Santos jersey this year and was a teammate of no less than Neymar . The 30-year-old from Entre Ríos will join the Avellaneda red team in exchange for $1,900,000 payable in four installments: one of $300,000 in September; two in 2026, one of $500,000 in February and another of $500,000 in June; and the last of $600,000 in February 2027. Details of the player's contract remain to be revealed.

Godoy, who played for Atlético Rafaela, Talleres, and Estudiantes , had been transferred to the Curitiba club at the end of 2023 for $4 million. At the time, he had even been in the plans of River Plate, São Paulo, and Corinthians, but the red-and-black team ended up winning the fight. Now, at 30, he will return to wear the jersey of a big club.

The need to add a full-back is related to the possible departure of Felipe Loyola, even though the Chilean usually plays as a central midfielder. This means the Concordia-born player will compete with Federico Vera .

Vaccari also wants a striker. He seems unattainable, but the name of Ignacio Pussetto , formerly of Huracán and currently with Pumas, has been mentioned. In any case, the management's priority is to retain players who have performed well and are in the sights of European clubs. The aforementioned Loyola, Kevin Lomónaco, and Alvaro Angulo will only leave if their release clauses are paid, valued at $15 million (the Chilean) and $20 million (the Lanús native and the Colombian), respectively.

Lomónaco is a player who received an offer from Qatar, which he himself rejected. Called up to the Argentine national team by Lionel Scaloni , he hopes to make his debut against Colombia on Tuesday at the Monumental and aims to make the leap to European football.

On the other hand, Carlos Matheu will join the Reserve team as coach, replacing Martín Di Diego , who was fired due to poor results in the Copa Proyección. He will be joined by another former Independiente center back, Eduardo Tuzzio. Both were champions of the 2010 Sudamericana.