River Plate pushes for Mastantuono return; Real Madrid favors European loan

Published Jul 29, 08:29 PM UTC

According to Argentine media TyC, River Plate is pursuing Real Madrid's 18-year-old midfielder Franco Mastantuono after securing Tobias Andrada. Mastantuono, a left-footed midfielder who has made 35 appearances for Real Madrid (17 starts, 3 goals), is pushing for a return to his childhood club River Plate. However, Real Madrid, having paid approximately €60 million for him, prefers to loan him to a European top-five league club for continued development, following the model used for Endrick (loaned to Marseille) and Nico Paz (Como). Mastantuono is not a key player under new coach Jose Mourinho, ranking behind star players and new signing Bernardo Silva. Other interested clubs include Villarreal, Fiorentina (where his Italian citizenship helps), Benfica, and Fulham. Real Madrid will only consider a loan without a purchase option, making a return to Argentina unlikely at this stage.