Real Madrid chief scout Juni Calafat opens talks with club for 16-year-old

Real Madrid are leading the race to sign 16-year-old attacking talent Franco Mastantuono, having moved ahead of the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, and sweetest of all for Madridistas, Barcelona.

Mastantuono’s name has been mentioned frequently in recent months, and as his impact in the first team under Martin Demichelis continues to grow, so has the speculation over his future. Barcelona were first linked with Mastantuono, and despite a keenness from the player to play for the Catalan side, their inability to move in the transfer window due to their finances will rule them out of the race.

🚨 Sevilla and Real Betis consider asking Barcelona for the loan of Vitor Roque. @abc_es

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 30, 2024

Catalan outlet Sport say that while there is no offer for Mastantuono, Real Madrid chief scout Juni Calafat and General Manager Jose Angel Sanchez have contacted their counterparts at River Plate to discuss terms. Mastantuono recently signed a contract extension until the end of 2026, with a release clause of €45m. In the final 10 days of the transfer market, it rises to €50m.

Only Los Blancos have opened contact with River, and in a recent trip to Buenos Aires, Calafat sat down with Mastantuono in person to open talks too. Their plan is for the teenage gem to continue his development until he turns 18 at River, before moving to Madrid.

It should be noted that Calafat and Sanchez have an outstanding record of youth recruitment in recent years, and once they set their sights on a target, they tend to get their man. That was the case with Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes, Reinier Jesus and Endrick Felipe, and Mastantuono is well-placed to be the next Latin American import to the Spanish capital.