River's exiled forward Lencina heads to Europa with Burgos
River Club confirmed that 20‑year‑old forward Santiago Lencina will leave the Argentine side to continue his career in Europa, joining Spanish second‑division side Burgos on a season‑long loan with a purchase option. The move follows recent departures from the Cantilo training ground and marks another step in the shrinking group of out‑of‑favor players at River.
Lencina will spend the upcoming season with Burgos in Spain's Segunda División, the agreement includes an option to acquire 50 % of his registration, though the financial terms have not been disclosed. The loan is to Burgos of the Spanish second division, España's Segunda División. He is expected to travel to Spain in the next few days as the clubs finalise the paperwork. The news was reported by Prensa River.
Lencina made his professional debut on 2 August 2025 under Marcelo Gallardo, contributing to a 3‑0 victory over San Martín de Tucumán in the round of 32 of the Copa Argentina. Since that appearance he added 30 more matches for La Banda, scoring three goals.
Although he never secured a regular starting spot, Gallardo used him as a substitute during his tenure. After Eduardo Coudet took over, Lencina fell further down the pecking order and was eventually sidelined.
His final appearance for River came on 27 May in a 3‑0 win against Blooming, the last group‑stage match of the Copa Sudamericana. He missed the pre‑season camp in Alicante and instead trained for over a month at the Cantilo facilities before finalising his move to Burgos.
A day earlier, Ian Subiabre also secured his exit from River, joining Tigre on an 18‑month loan that runs until December 2027. The forward, also a marginalised player, hopes to revive his career at the Matador, a nickname for Tigre, after the transfer window closed.
Both Lencina and Subiabre will seek regular minutes at their new clubs, hoping the moves reignite their trajectories after falling out of favour at River.