After having taken the lead in the race to sign Franco Mastantuono, Real Madrid are expected to close the deal for the youngster today, reports journalist Edu Burgos.
The 17-year-old Argentine gem has been on the Merengues’ radars for a long time now and previous efforts to sign him had fallen through leading to a breakdown in relations with his representatives.
However, with the situation mended, Real Madrid have gone about aggressively in their pursuit of the River Plate prodigy in the past couple of days, overtaking PSG in the race.
$45 million release clause plus some variables to close the deal
As reported this week, Real Madrid chief scout Juni Calafat flew to Buenos Aires to speak with Mastantuono, his camp, and River Plate to finalise the deal.
Reports suggested that new Los Blancos manager Xabi Alonso also spoke with the young attacking midfielder via phone, which proved decisive.
Real Madrid’s third signing of the summer? (Photo by Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images)
As such, Real Madrid are now on track to finalise the deal for Mastantuono today, reports Burgos.
According to the journalist, the Spanish giants will be paying the teenager’s $45 million (~€40 million) release clause plus a small amount in variables, with the offer set to arrive at River Plate’s offices shortly.
Once completed, Mastantuono will become Real Madrid’s third signing of the summer following the arrivals of Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Despite the deal being close to completion, the expectation is that Mastantuono will not arrive in time for the FIFA Club World Cup and will be involved in the tournament with River Plate.
The Spanish heavyweights are also working to close the signing of Alvaro Carreras from SL Benfica as Florentino Perez & co. are leaving no stones unturned in an effort to provide Alonso with a strong squad capable of competing on all fronts.