TRANSFER RUMOR: Atlanta United make offer for another South American midfielder

Silliness never stops.

On the heels of reports that Atlanta United is close to acquiring Matias Galarza Fonda on loan from River Plate, we have another interesting rumor to discuss.

According to the esteemed Cesar Luis Merlo, the Five Stripes have put in a formal offer for Gremio attacking midfielder Franco Cristaldo.

César Luis Merlo@CLMerlo

🚨Atlanta United hizo una oferta formal por Franco Cristaldo y ya negocia con Gremio. *️⃣La chance de Toronto, que había buscado al mediocampista argentino, se cayó de manera definitiva.

4:18 PM · Feb 22, 2026 · 91.5K Views

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12 Replies · 40 Reposts · 601 Likes

This is interesting for many reasons. Clearly, the club cannot add both of these players with their current roster situation. Something would have to give in the form of a player on the roster leaving. There’s also the case of both players demanding high salaries, meaning it’s extremely unlikely both are coming here.

Cristaldo, a 29-year-old from Argentina, is a player Atlanta have been linked to in the past and someone they clearly covet. He’s also a more attack-minded player than Galarza Fonda.

Whether or not this rumor makes sense is up for debate, but when CL Merlo reports something, we can’t help but take notice.

It certainly seems like it’s either Cristaldo or Galarza Fonda, but not both, at least not in the short-term. Perhaps a negotiating tactic to force River Plate’s hand into getting the Galarza Fonda deal over the line? Anything is possible. Or maybe a legitimate backup plan in case that deal falls through.

Everything seems up in the air at this point. One thing that is certain, it doesn’t seem like this team is done making moves despite the season already being underway.