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Analysis
- 1 hours ago
Real Madrid reach Mastantuono AGREEMENT: Xabi Alonso makes his mark with key role in deal
Robin Bairner
- 5 Jun 2025 07:00 BST
- 4 min read
News
Real Madrid have reached an agreement over personal terms of River Plate wonderkid Franco Mastantuono and hope to finalise the signing of the player this weekend.
Mastantuono is a player that Los Blancos have been tracking for months, but while they hoped to sign him in January 2026 have been pushed into early action for the 17-year-old due to PSG pushing to sign him, AS reports.
The teenager’s release clause is set at €45 million, and while he has agreed to join Real Madrid, the Spanish club faces a potential problem in triggering that figure after a busy start to the transfer window.
Dean Huijsen has already been signed from Bournemouth for €59.5m while the arrival of Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool has been confirmed, with Los Blancos surprisingly paying €10m to buy him out of his contract a month early. Real Madrid have also been heavily linked with Stuttgart midfielder Angelo Stiller as they seek a long-term replacement for Toni Kroos in the heart of their midfield.
Current ETV
Franco Mastantuono
F (R)
River Plate
Franco Mastantuono
F (R)
River Plate
ETV Range
€16.6M - €20.2M
Real Madrid rushed into action
Real Madrid did not expect to be pressed into signing Mastantuono at this point, and as such, meeting his release fee could prove complicated.
The Spanish club, it is reported, had not anticipated PSG’s persistence to sign the player, who has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €18.4m.
In turn, this has prompted CEO Jose Angel Sanchez and chief international scout Juni Calafat to travel to Buenos Aires and start talks with the player. Mastantuono agreed to move to Los Blancos at that point and was asked to break off negotiations with other clubs.
TyCSports in Argentina reports that this meeting was decisive, along with a call from new Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso, who spoke directly with the player. This source also claims that a deal is almost done.
Now Los Blancos face what is branded by AS “the most complicated” part: negotiating with River Plate.
Mastantuono himself wants to play in the Club World Cup with the Argentine club, who have little appetite to sell before that competition. On the other hand, Real Madrid want to finalise a deal this weekend before the early summer transfer window shuts.
As Mastantuono holds dual Argentine and Italian citizenship, he does not wait until he turns 18 in August to move to a club in the EU, such as Real Madrid or PSG.
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