Franco Mastantuono celebrates with his River Plate teammates during the game against Boca Juniors (Photo by Daniel Jayo/Getty Images)
Chelsea and Manchester United may be about to be left disappointed in the transfer battle over one of the most sought-after young talents in world football.
It seems that despite numerous suitors to choose from, River Plate wonderkid Franco Mastantuono has already decided his choice for his next club.
The 17-year-old midfield prodigy apparently has his heart set on joining Real Madrid, despite Man Utd’s interest also being mentioned in a report from Fichajes.
Earlier today, we reported on Mastantuono being a top target for Chelsea ahead of this summer, with the Blues showing a very strong interest in the player.
We were also told, however, that Real Madrid, as well as other big clubs like Liverpool and Barcelona could also be teams to watch out for.
Franco Mastantuono may be a lost cause for Chelsea
Mastantuono clearly looks like the right fit for Chelsea’s current philosophy of recruiting world class young talents, but it seems like the pull of the Bernabeu might prove too much for him to ignore.
Other South American prospects have done well at Real Madrid after joining at a young age, with the likes of Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes and Federico Valverde now key first-team players.
Endrick, however, has not had quite as much joy in the Spanish capital, while Turkish youngster Arda Guler is also struggling to cement a place in the team.
Should Franco Mastantuono think twice about Real Madrid?
Despite all this, and despite first-team football perhaps being more likely for him at Chelsea, it seems that the Argentine wonderkid wants to take on the challenge of playing for arguably the world’s biggest club.
Chelsea’s project might end up being a successful one eventually, but it’s not really got going yet, whereas Real are always a glamourous name in the mix for the biggest trophies.
This hasn’t been the best season at the Bernabeu, but one imagines it won’t be too long before they’re back on top, and you can’t blame Mastantuono for wanting to be a part of it, and backing himself with the very biggest move.
