Man United learn it will take £39m to land Argentine wonderkid as Real Madrid ready for move in the summer

Man United learn it will take £39m to land Argentine wonderkid as Real Madrid ready for move in the summer

Manchester United are interested in an Argentine wonderkid, but going off the latest reports, they will have to shell out a significant amount of money for him.

While the Red Devils have fallen below expectations this season, a bright youthful core has started to emerge at Old Trafford with the likes of Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund being among their top performers.

Judging by the player’s Man Utd are currently being linked with, it seems as if Sir Jim Ratcliffe is keen to build upon this youthful core in the summer.

One youngster who has popped up on United’s radar of late is River Plate midfielder Franco Mastantuono.

The 16-year-old has burst onto the scene this year and Man Utd are among the clubs interested.

As per reports from last month, the likes of Man Utd, Man City and Chelsea have all been keeping tabs on the River Plate playmaker.

Along with drawing the attention of several Premier League clubs, Mastantuono also has his admirers in Europe with Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG, Benfica and Borussia Dortmund all interested according to reports in Spain.

While the 16-year-old has only made 10 senior appearances in his career so far, his potential is obvious to see.

However, despite his lack of first-team action, he certainly won’t come cheap this summer.

River Plate want big transfer fee
According to Argentinian outlet TyC Sports (as per Managing Madrid), clubs from Europe will need to trigger Mastantuono’s €45m (£38.5m) release clause in order to get him out of Argentina.

The report claims that River Plate will ‘not negotiate’ on this and the players release clause will need to be paid in full in order for a deal to be made.

Given the youngster is under contract until the end of 2026, the club is in a strong position to dictate his future at this point in time.

River Plate have an excellent reputation when it comes to developing youngsters and Mastantuono is among their brightest prospects right now.

In years gone by, they have developed the likes of Julian Alvarez, Gonzalo Higuain, Erik Lamela and Radamel Falcao, to name a few.

Man Utd face fierce competition when it comes to Mastantuono and it remains to be seen if they are willing to trigger his £38.5m release clause.

Real Madrid will no doubt fancy themselves as one of the favourites to land the attacking midfielder, especially when you consider their track record of signing youngsters from South America.