Real Madrid lead race to sign Barcelona and Manchester United transfer target - Reports
Real Madrid are on their way to sign River Plate's wonder-kid, Franco Mastantuono, ahead of Barcelona and Manchester United.
16-year-old Franco Mastantuono broke Argentine legend Javier Saviola's record by becoming the youngest scorer in the history of River Plate at 16 years, five months, and 24 days.
The Argentine talent has already scored two goals in eleven competitive matches for River Plate and has started to impact the gameplay of Martin Demichellis' side strongly.
First, FC Barcelona were reported to be linked with Mastantuono. However, the Catalan club's financial struggles are majorly responsible for ruling them out of the transfer race despite their keenness to sign the Argentine talent.
According to Catalan outlet Sport, Franco Mastantuono hasn't yet received an official offer from any club. However, Real Madrid's chief scout Juni Calafat, and general manager Jose Angel Sanchez have reportedly contacted River Plate to discuss the 16-year-old's future. Mastantuono's contract runs out in 2026 and has a buyout clause of $45 million. However, the sum rises to $50 million in the final ten days of the transfer window.
Real Madrid's Juni Calafat and Jose Angel Sanchez have an excellent record of signing prodigies. They have signed players like Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior, Reinier Jesus, and Endrick Felipe in the past and have their eyes glued on Franco Mastantuano at present.
Top wonder kids in FC Barcelona and Real Madrid this season
Barcelona's La Masia football academy has been historically hailed as one of the best academies in the world and has produced talents like Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, etc. The combination of La Masia and a strong scouting team led by Paulo Araujo has given Barcelona some exceptional talents over the years.
In the 2023-24 season, Barcelona's home-grown players Pau Cubarsi, Fermin Lopez, Lamin Yamal, Hector Fort, and Marc Guiu have greatly impressed Xavi and have been the backbone of a team riddled with financial problems. Moreover, talents like Pedri, Gavi, and Vitor Roque have been some of the top scouted talents for the club lately.
Arda Guler was signed from Fenerbahce by Real Madrid last summer, and Endrick is expected to join the Los Blancos from Palmerias in July 2024. Other top young talents for Real Madrid include Rafa Marin, Reinier, Juanmi Latasa, and Jesus Vallejo. However, they are currently on loan to various European clubs.