Real Madrid Confirms Signing of Franco Mastantuono

Franco Mastantuono is now officially a Real Madrid player. The Chamartín club announced the signing of the Argentine diamond on Friday, who at just 17 years old has become one of the most promising figures in world football. The current River Plate player, with whom he will compete in the upcoming Club World Cup, will arrive in the Spanish capital on August 14, the day he turns 18, and will be linked to the 'white house' for the next six seasons, until June 30, 2031.

Real Madrid will pay River Plate a release clause of 45 million euros, plus an additional 18 million in taxes, to secure Mastantuono's services. He was trained in the Buenos Aires club's academy between 2019 and 2024 and has been part of the first team during the 2024-2025 season. In February 2024, he became the youngest scorer in River Plate's history, a team with which he has won an Argentine Super Cup. At 17, he is also the youngest player to play an official match with the Argentine national team, having debuted with the Albiceleste on June 6 in a World Cup 2026 qualifier against Chile.

Mastantuono will join Real Madrid after playing 61 matches with River Plate, to which his Club World Cup appearances will be added. He has scored ten goals and provided seven assists with the Millionaires' jersey.

Although Mastantuono's name had been on Real Madrid's radar for months and the signing was almost completed earlier, it was PSG's involvement that gave the operation a decisive push. Fearing losing the jewel due to the great interest from the Parisian club, Real Madrid sent their head of international scouting, Juni Calafat, to Argentina. Calafat, who was instrumental in signing other talents like Vinicius, Rodrygo, Valverde, and Arda Güler, expedited a signing that was finalized this Friday.

Thus, Mastantuono becomes the third reinforcement for Xabi Alonso's new Real Madrid, following the arrivals of centre-back Dean Huijsen and right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.