For a number of Real Madrid players this pre-season is a very important time for them to secure their future at the club, and that is the exact case fro Franco Mastantuono. The youngster has a big pre-season ahead of him to win over Jose Mourinho and convince the manager that he belongs in the squad. Both the player and the club are using the pre-season to assess his future, with loan move looking likely, and the Argentine has a preferred club in mind, one he knows very well.
As being reported by MadridXtra on X, Franco Mastantuono would love to return to River Plate on loan this summer and the Argentine club are in direct contact with Real Madrid over a possible deal, however Real are not convinced by this option and would rather loan him out elsewhere as he also has interest from clubs in Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Germany. A decision on the players future is expected to be made soon, with the start of the new season rapidly approaching.
Where in the world will Franco Mastantuono end up?
The 18-year-old arrived at Real Madrid last summer after a breakout Club World Cup tournament with River Plate and he arrived with quite the expectations on his shoulders. However unfortunately for the player, his €60 million price tag may have set those expectations too high as he had somewhat of a disappointing first season at the Bernabeu. He only managed to grab three goals across 33 appearances in all competitions and never really took full advantage when given the opportunities.
As a result much talk has been made about his future at Real Madrid with a loan move looking more and more likely as the days pass. Given his young age and need for consistent game time for development, as well as the fact that he's fighting for minutes in an attacking line that consists of Vinicius Jr, Kylian Mbappe, Arda Guler, Brahim Diaz, as well as Endrick returning from loan and Rodrygo returning from injury in a few months, a loan move makes the most sense for the teenager at this stage of his career.
As mentioned earlier the player would prefer to go back to his boyhood club for his loan spell as it is where he is most comfortable however from Real Madrid's perspective that doesn't seem like the best move. The only way for Franco to take the next step is to play against top level talent, something the Argentine league lacks compared to the European leagues, with a move back to River Plate more of a step back in his development than a step forward.
At the end of the day all signs point to Mastantuono being loaned out this summer the question just remains where. A loan move is the best option for the youngster at this stage in his career as these are some of the crucial development years, and sitting on the bench won't do any good for his future at the Bernabeu.
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