Franco Mastantuono is one of the South American players in the orbit of FC Barcelona. The 17-year-old midfielder has a contract with River Plate until June 2026 and, for now, his market value reaches 15 million euros, after playing 41 matches (1,527 minutes) with the Argentine team in 2024, where he scored 3 goals and provided 3 assists.
In this regard, the latest reports indicate that the 'millionaire' team insists on asking for 45 million euros for the player, a prohibitive price for Barça and Real Madrid, another club that has been following him for months. River already closed the transfer of Claudio Echeverry to Manchester City for 18.5 'million' a year ago. The 19-year-old player hopes to join the team led by Pep Guardiola soon, as injuries and the sporting crisis of the 'sky blue' may open a spot for him in the team.
Barça may reactivate their interest in Mastantuono next summer
In Mastantuono's case, the player from Azul returned this week to the team led by Marcelo Gallardo, where he will face a lot of competition to try to earn a spot in the Argentine coach's scheme. Additionally, Franco comes from a poor South American U-20 Championship with the 'albiceleste' in Venezuela, a tournament where he only played a couple of matches as a starter, without registering goals or assists.
Echeverry, on the other hand, was the standout player for Diego Placente's team, with 6 goals and 3 assists in 9 matches. Beyond disappointing in his first major international tournament, Barça remains attentive to the future of the 17-year-old player, one of the 'gems' of a River that has secured its participation in the upcoming Club World Cup. If Mastantuono steps up in the 'millionaire' team during the tournament to be held in the United States in June, it is very likely that the bidding for the midfielder will activate in the next summer transfer market.