Franco Mastantuono will have a new challenge in European football. After a season with limited continuity at Real Madrid, the Argentine midfielder will continue his career at Fiorentina, which has reached an agreement with the Spanish club to incorporate him on loan for one year and without an option to buy.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the deal is already closed and the player will travel to Italy for a medical examination and join the squad led by Fabio Grosso. The agreement stipulates that both the Merengue and the Gigliati will share the player's salary equally, set at 3.5 million euros net per season.
This decision represents a change of direction for one of the biggest promises in Argentine football. Just a year ago, Mastantuono arrived at the Santiago Bernabéu after a record transfer from River, valued at 63.2 million euros, of which the Núñez club received 45 million.
At Fiorentina, Mastantuono will seek to gain more playing time
His start at the white team had been encouraging, as he had opportunities under the management of Xabi Alonso. However, a pubalgia affected his continuity and, as the months passed, he lost ground within the squad. Neither the subsequent change of coach (Álvaro Arbeloa) nor the arrival of José Mourinho changed that scenario, as the Portuguese coach understood, along with the management, that the best thing for the player was to go on loan to gain minutes.
Now, Mastantuono will find a different setting. With his transfer to the club in the Tuscany region, where he will share the squad with his compatriot Nicolás Valentini, he will seek to regain the level that made him one of the great talents to emerge from the Millonario's youth academy.
For its part, the Spanish club maintains confidence in his potential and, for that reason, decided not to include a purchase option in the loan, with the intention of having him return to the club once the loan is finished to compete again for a place in the first team.
Mastantuono's numbers at Real Madrid
Since his arrival at the White House in mid-last year, the native of Azul has played 1,484 minutes, distributed over 35 matches, in which he scored 3 goals, provided 1 assist, and received 5 yellow cards and 1 direct red card.
