Matías Kranevitter isn’t leaving River Plate until the end of the year but that has not stopped Los Millonarios preparing for life after the departure of their influential, young midfielder. According to reports, Tigre’s 22-year-old defensive midfielder, Joaquín Arzura tops the list of possible replacements but an interest in Guido Pizarro remains.

Despite Kranevitter’s tender age his presence will be sorely missed by Marcelo Gallardo and River Plate when he completes his transfer to Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid. El Colo was in Madrid this week penning a five-year deal with Los Colchoneros but will return to River until after the Club World Cup at the end of the year. The 22-year-old academy product has been central to River’s recent success in lifting the Copa Libertadores and although River president, Rodolfo D’onofrio admitted they didn’t want to see the midfielder leave it was an inevitability.

D’onofrio along with Marcelo Gallardo and sporting director Enzo Francescoli must now search for an adequate replacement and one of those names is Tigre’s Joaquín Arzura.

Arzura was earmarked by Golazo at the start of the season in the list of young players looking to breakthrough in 2015 and it would appear he has also caught the attention of River. The same age as Kranevitter and the same type of tenacious central midfield presence, Arzura would be an almost ready-made replacement. Stylistically at least, although Arzura has yet to perform at anywhere near the level of Kranevitter.

Having joined Tigre at the age of fourteen, Arzura has risen through the ranks in Victoria and already has over 70 first team appearances. Certainly if River can pick up the youngsters for a small fee he would fit well into the transfer policy of signing players with a potential sell-on value.

Another possible target mentioned has been former Lanús midfielder, Guido Pizarro but with the 25-year-old currently plying his trade in México with beaten Libertadores finalists, Tigres it could prove difficult to prize him away. The Liga MX is far more lucrative than the Argentine Primera and Tigres are certainly no penny pinchers, as their capture of French international André-Pierre Gignac recently proved.

Either way, Kranevitter will be a tough act to follow for whoever takes up the number five role for River in 2016.