Southampton misfit Guido Carrillo has admitted to Fox Sports that Argentine legend Juan Roman Riquelme has been in contact to discuss a potential move to Boca Juniors.
If you made a list of the worst Saints signings of all time, this £19 million striker would probably be a decent bet to join Ali Dia at the very top.
After all, Carrillo has not scored a single goal in Southampton colours after becoming their club-record signing in January 2018.
He hasn’t even played for the South Coast club since a 3-0 thrashing at West Ham United two years ago, spending most of his time out on loan at Leganes.
And, with his contract due to expire in the summer of 2021, Southampton will be desperate to find a buyer before in order to recoup at least a fraction of that £19 million outlay.
Unfortunately, Carrillo doesn’t exactly seem enamoured by the prospect of joining Boca Juniors just yet. He has unfinished business in Europe, even if a move to one of the biggest clubs in South America, 34-time champions of the Argentinian top-flight, does hold some appeal.
“Roman (Riquelme) called me a few months ago. These are situations that make you think,” Carrillo admitted, discussing his talks with the Boca legend and current vice-president. “I do not close the door to anything but I still have more time in Europe.
“Soccer is so changeable that one can be imprisoned by his own words. But I still have more to give here in Europe. Te idea of returning (to Argentina) is not for this moment.”
Such comments are unlikely to go down too well with Southampton, who will already have to sell Carrillo for a vastly reduced fee in order to avoid letting him go for absolutely nothing in 12 months’ time.
Offers may be hard to come by too, with Carrillo hardly setting the world alight in La Liga. He has scored just once in 20 matches for Leganes this season.
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