River Plate wonderkid Franco Mastantuono is the latest Argentine sensation European clubs are eyeing.
Earlier this month, a report from Argentina revealed FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid as interested clubs.
The 16-year-old is one of South America’s best young talents and recently signed a new contract with the Buenos Aires-based team, keeping him with the club until 2026. Furthermore, the teenager’s release clause was initially set at €15 million but has significantly increased to €45 million.
Nonetheless, for Real Madrid, the Spanish might be having second thoughts about remaining in this race. According to MARCA’s José Félix Díaz (h/t Bernabéu Digital), this amount is beyond what Real Madrid is willing to pay at the moment.
Still, Mastantuono remains a prominent figure on their agenda. Díaz notes that Los Blancos have traveled to Buenos Aires on more than one occasion to closely understand the Argentine talent’s interest. Despite his contract renewal, many might think that interest has vanished, but that’s not the case.
The journalist adds that Real Madrid’s board still regrets not being able to secure Julián Álvarez, currently a player for Manchester City, due to the famous non-EU player quota. It will be interesting to see whether the Spanish giants decide that the release clause is indeed worth paying or if they’ll look at other Argentine prospects.