Chelsea to make strong play for €45m Real Madrid target

River Plate starlet Franco Mastantuono has been on the radar of Europe’s elite since the age of 15, and already was known in Argentina by the time he made his debut at 16. It appears that his jump to European football is nearing.

Now at the age of 17, Mastantuono recently scored the winner against Boca Juniors in the Superclasico, and Real Madrid are hot on his heels. Manchester United have also been heavily linked with the left-footed playmaker, but Caught Offside have informed that they are not the only Premier League side looking into his signing.

Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool and Manchester City have looked into his signing, but have been cowed by the €45m asking price, something that would not put Chelsea or Real Madrid off, explain the British outlet. Their information is that Chelsea will make a strong play for Mastantuono, and are hopeful of beating out Los Blancos to his signature.

River Plate recently declared publicly that he would not be leaving before the Club World Cup, and that if he did at all, then it would require a side to activate that €45m asking price.

What is the press saying about Franco Mastantuono in Spain?

The latest from the Spanish capital is that Real Madrid are keen to do a deal with River before the Club World Cup, ergo, during the first ten days of June. Either way, as early as summer of 2024, it was reported that Mastantuono had reached an agreement on personal terms with Los Blancos, with Director of Football Santiago Solari pursuing his signing.

More recently, it was claimed that Mastantuono had informed United, as well as his other suitors, that he was willing to wait for Real Madrid to be able to get a deal done. What kind of timescale the European champions are operating on is not yet clear.