Aston Villa and Manchester City have reportedly dispatched scouts to Argentina to monitor River Plate goalkeeper Santiago Beltrán, according to Sport Witness. The publication aggregates claims from several Argentine journalists who state that European interest in the 21-year-old is intensifying, even though Premier League clubs cannot complete a signing until the January 2027 window opens.
El Intransigente, an Argentine newspaper cited by Sport Witness, names Villa among the clubs following the goalkeeper closely. Flavio Pace, one of the reporters referenced, places Atlético Madrid, Real Betis and Benfica alongside the English sides. The same report alleges that Barcelona has also sent personnel to watch Beltrán play.
River Plate appear determined to protect their asset. Beltrán’s current contract runs until December 2027 and carries a release clause understood to be approximately €21m (£18.2m). Local journalists Sebastián Srur, Germán Balcarce and César Luis Merlo have all indicated that negotiations are under way to extend his deal until December 2029, a move that would push the buyout figure to around €100m (£86.7m).
Srur told El Intransigente that the renewal discussions are advancing positively and stressed the player will not depart without a fee. He noted that the existing clause stands at roughly €21m but that the intention is for an agreement to be reached soon.
The South American outlet also mentions unspecified claims that Beltrán has received substantial financial proposals from Europe, although it does not identify which clubs are behind them or suggest Villa are involved in those particular approaches.
One notable shift in recent months involves the goalkeeper’s representation. His affairs were previously managed directly by relatives earlier in the year, but agent Gustavo Goñi is now handling matters and taking part in the ongoing contract talks.
For Villa, the story arrives after a busy summer in which Emiliano Martínez departed for Chelsea and Zion Suzuki arrived from Parma. With the transfer window shut until the new year, any pursuit of Beltrán would remain in the scouting phase for now. Aston Villa have not commented on the reports.
