The native of Azul, who will come of age on August 14 and holds an Italian EU passport, would continue playing for River until December, which would allow the Millonario to count on him for the decisive stage of the Copa Libertadores.
From the Casa Blanca, pressure has started to mount for the young Millonario, who is also being pursued by PSG
The native of Azul, who will come of age on August 14 and holds an Italian EU passport, would continue playing for River until December, which would allow the Millonario to count on him for the decisive stage of the Copa Libertadores.
Meanwhile, the young star is focused with the Argentina National Team for the double round of the South American Qualifiers, and his name is gaining more and more traction on the radar of major European clubs such as PSG and Manchester City.
Both tried to get ahead in the negotiations, and in the case of the Parisian club, they claim that Luis Enrique was in direct contact with the player to try to convince him.
Despite interest from other institutions, Real Madrid has been closely following River's gem for months. His arrival at the white club could break a 15-year streak without Argentine signings for the squad. The last time was in 2010, when Ángel Di María joined from Benfica.
Real Madrid returns to the scene, and this time it's going all in to secure Franco Mastantuono. Juni Calafat, head of international scouting for the white club, is currently in Buenos Aires to negotiate the purchase of the young Millonario, who is also on the radar of the recent European champion, Paris Saint-Germain.
According to AS newspaper, the trip by the emissary of the Merengue side is due to internal pressure from the club's Director of Football, Argentine Santiago Solari, who doesn't want to miss the chance to sign the 17-year-old rising star.
Real Madrid's strategy includes paying the release clause, set at 45 million dollars (about 40 million euros), under a format similar to the one used to sign Brazilian Endrick from Palmeiras at the end of 2022. This involves a fixed payment plus a variable portion to reach the amount River is demanding.