Olympiacos’ midfield decision has reopened: one FINAL push for Gustavo Puerta — while Cásseres is still training in Toulouse

Gustavo Puerta #14 of Colombia controls the ball during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K match between Colombia and Portugal at Miami Stadium on June 27, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Transfer windows rarely move in straight lines. Cristian Cásseres Jr. appeared to have won the race. Olympiacos had reportedly pushed their Toulouse offer toward €10 million. The Venezuelan wanted Piraeus.

Greek outlets began describing the transfer as effectively complete. Then Wednesday supplied two pieces of evidence worth taking seriously. First, Toulouse-focused reporting confirmed that Cásseres remains in France and trained normally with TFC today. Second, Gazzetta reported late Wednesday that Olympiacos intend to make one final effort for Gustavo Puerta. That does not mean the Cásseres transaction has collapsed.

It does suggest Olympiacos have not entirely closed the decision.

Puerta may still be the highest-rated target internally

Olympiacos have pursued him too persistently for the interest to be casual. They have already dealt with Racing’s refusal. The player has reportedly been positive toward Olympiacos. The club knows the economics are extremely difficult. And yet it is still considering one more attempt. That usually tells us something about internal conviction. Clubs do not repeatedly return to an expensive transaction unless somebody in the football department believes the player offers something unusually valuable.

The appeal is easy to understand

Puerta is 23. He has already been a World Cup starter for Colombia. His game contains a difficult combination to find in one midfielder:

mobility;

dueling;

pressing;

carrying;

progressive passing;

and enough technical comfort to operate in several midfield roles.

Independent analysis of his development describes him as capable of functioning as a 5, 8 or in more advanced positions. That gives Mendilibar something neither Freuler nor Hezze provides exactly.

Freuler + Puerta may be Olympiacos’ ideal age/profile balance

Freuler is 34. His value is immediate:

positioning;

control;

experience;

decision-making.

Puerta gives almost the inverse age curve. He could arrive as a player capable of helping immediately while still having substantial development and resale runway. That combination makes strategic sense: Freuler stabilizes the present. Puerta potentially becomes part of the future. Cásseres, at 26, sits somewhere between those two ideas.

But Racing’s economics remain brutal

This is still the biggest reason Cásseres appeared to move ahead. Racing have publicly taken an unusually hard position on their best assets. AS reported that sporting director Chema Aragón said the club would demand the contractual clause for coveted players, explicitly including Puerta, whose figure is €20 million.

Cadena SER likewise reported that Racing were working on another improved contract for Puerta and had no intention of negotiating below the clause.

And because Bayer Leverkusen reportedly retain 50% of his economic rights, Racing have even less incentive to accept a conventional €10–12m proposal. That is the central transaction problem.

This is where Cásseres remains the rational alternative

Cásseres may simply be much easier to buy. Toulouse have an incentive to monetize a player approaching the final year of his deal. The player reportedly wants Olympiacos. The clubs have moved close enough financially that French media have described the departure as being in very good shape. So if Racing refuse to move, Olympiacos can complete a very good midfielder rather than spending another week chasing an impossible one.

That is precisely why parallel negotiations exist.

But today’s Toulouse update is important

Cásseres training in France does not prove the Greek reports were wrong. Transfers can be agreed while a player continues training until travel paperwork and final documentation are complete. But it absolutely means we should correct the certainty level.

There is fresh evidence that he remains fully inside Toulouse’s training environment as of Wednesday.

Therefore:

“Cásseres is signed” is too strong right now.

“Cásseres remains very close” is defensible.

Aston Villa could end the Puerta pursuit instantly — but that story needs better sourcing

Gazzetta specifically conditions Olympiacos’ possible final push on whether the Aston Villa reports are real.

The available claim comes from Fichajes.net, which says Villa are prepared to trigger the €20m clause.

I could not verify that through Aston Villa, Racing Santander, a primary journalist covering Villa, AS, Cadena SER or another strong English/Spanish source. So I would treat the Villa story as unverified market chatter for now, not as an established rival bid. That is exactly the type of rumor this watch should avoid upgrading prematurely.

If Villa are not really there, Olympiacos may test Racing one final time

That appears to be the logic of the new Gazzetta report. One more proposal. One more attempt to see whether Racing’s public rigidity matches its private negotiation position. And if the answer is still €20m or nothing, move on. That would be sensible.

The danger would be paying for obsession rather than value

There is a point where persistence becomes sunk-cost thinking. Olympiacos may believe Puerta is the best midfielder on the board. That does not make every price rational. At €12–14m, there is an argument for stretching because of age, international status and future value. At €20m, the calculation becomes radically different. The player would need to become one of the defining midfielders of the project to justify that kind of commitment. Olympiacos should want Puerta badly enough to try. Not badly enough to abandon valuation discipline.

Cásseres may still be the player in Athens when all of this ends

That remains entirely plausible. The final Puerta push could fail quickly. Toulouse and Olympiacos could finish their documentation. Cásseres could then travel. Nothing in Wednesday’s French update says the Olympiacos deal is off. But tonight’s information tells us something we did not know yesterday: Olympiacos still appear to have a choice to make. The midfield recruitment is not quite finished. And Gustavo Puerta has not disappeared from the board.