Atletico Madrid and Manchester City set sights on teen starlet linked with Real Madrid | OneFootball

River Plate have become the purveyors of top talent coming out of Latin America in recent years, with Julian Alvarez and Claudio Echeverri moving to Manchester City. The next to make a big-money switch could be Franco Mastantuono.

The 17-year-old has been at the heart of a curious case over the last year or so. A flurry of links to Real Madrid occurred in 2024, with several major outlets claiming that Los Blancos had met with Mastantuono, convinced him of a move, and even agreed personal terms with the teenager. Since, it has been reported that Los Blancos are dropping out of the race, as they did not want to pay his €50m release clause.

Image via River Plate

This August Mastantuono will turn 18, facilitating a move to Europe if he should want to do so. The trail has gone quiet regarding Los Blancos, but Doble Amarilla say that Atletico Madrid scouts were in Buenos Aires to watch Mastantuono in action against Rosario Central on Saturday. With Angel Correa potentially leaving this summer, and Antoine Griezmann perhaps on his way out, they say that Atletico would be willing to bid around €28m for him.

Mastantuono played 90 minutes in 2-2 draw with Central, and Atletico believe the number of Argentines at the Metropolitano and the presence of Diego Simeone could act as a key factor in persuading the player. Meanwhile Sport reference a report from DSports, also in Argentina, who say that Manchester City are interested in Mastantuono.

Atletico Madrid already have Julian Alvarez as the future centrepiece of their attack, but with Griezmann’s time at the top running out, and Rodrigo de Paul now into his thirties, Los Colchoneros will be keen to ensure Alvarez has creativity and service behind him. Moving for Mastantuono now would also give him time to learn from Griezmann before he likely leaves at the end of his contract.