River Plate
Chelsea have tracked Ian Subiabre since 2025. Tottenham later joined the race. Manchester City followed, and at various stages all three Premier League clubs were linked with the River Plate youngster.
The expectation throughout that period was that the 19-year-old would eventually make the jump to Europe. Instead, the latest reports from Argentina suggest he could be heading somewhere very different.
According to El Intransigente, MLS side DC United have opened formal talks with River Plate to sign Subiabre. The Argentine club is demanding €6.8m (£5.9m) net to sanction his departure.
Situation has changed dramatically
The biggest reason behind the shift is that Subiabre’s relationship with River has completely broken down.
The winger has been training away from the first-team squad since the start of July after a decision made by the club’s hierarchy. However, manager Eduardo Coudet has already made it clear the move was not his call. He has distanced himself from the decision.
His representative has since been working to find him a new club.
The situation worsened during the 2026 World Cup. Subiabre took part in an “intercountry” tournament despite being under contract with River.
According to the report, he was forced to explain himself to sporting manager Stefano Di Carlo afterwards. That episode accelerated the club’s desire to sell him, despite his contract running until December 2028.
That marks a major change from just a few months ago, when River were still trying to protect one of their brightest academy products.
MLS now offers clearest route
This is not the first proposal River have considered. Danish side Midtjylland previously showed concrete interest. However, that move failed because Subiabre was not convinced about continuing his career in Scandinavia.
According to El Intransigente, the situation is different with DC United. The winger is now willing to continue his career in the United States, while River’s directors are already in discussions with the MLS club.
For now, that represents the only concrete exit route available this summer.
Subiabre leaves River having made 44 first-team appearances, scoring three goals and providing three assists. Before being frozen out this season, he had featured in 22 matches. He registered one goal and two assists.
Given how heavily Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City have all been linked with him over the past year, seeing the youngster head to MLS instead would be one of the more unexpected twists of the summer transfer window.