PSG overtakes Barça and Madrid in the 'race' for Franco Mastantuono

Paris Saint-Germain is not closing the door to new 'cracks' after obtaining their first UEFA Champions League. The new Parisian target could be none other than Franco Mastantuono, the star of River Plate of Argentina that both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid have had on their radar for months.

In the last hours, Fabrizio Romano confirmed PSG's interest in the youth player, whose contract ends in 2026 and, for the moment, does not seem to have intentions of renewing with the 'millionaire' team.

According to Romano, "there is still nothing closed or agreed, but PSG will try to anticipate several major European clubs and sign the Argentine 'jewel'." In principle, River will only let the 17-year-old midfielder go in exchange for the payment of his clause, 45 million euros.

Barça seems to be falling behind in the 'race' for Franco Mastantuono

For Barça, although Mastantuono may represent a 'top' reinforcement in the medium and long term, it is not feasible to make a high investment for such a young footballer this summer. However, if the 'millionaire' team accepts a fractional payment, the culé perspective regarding Franco may vary.

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On the contrary, PSG does not seem willing to give Barcelona and Real Madrid themselves room for maneuver, one of the first teams to join the 'race' for the Argentine player. The 'merengue' board has been in contact with its River Plate counterpart for several months, but Paris seems to be taking the lead in the negotiations.

The Club World Cup, decisive for Mastantuono's future at River

In any case, Mastantuono's performance in the next Club World Cup may be decisive for any European giant to finally decide to sign him this summer. Marcelo Gallardo's team will face the Japanese Urawa Reds in their debut on June 17.

Afterwards, River will face Monterrey from Mexico on matchday 2 (June 21) and, finally, on the 25th they will face the current European runner-up, Inter Milan. The 'nerazzurri' could arrive with a new coach to the tournament, as Simone Inzaghi's cycle seems completely closed after the 'manita' in Munich.

So far this year, Franco Mastantuono has 7 goals and 4 assists in 19 matches with the Buenos Aires team. The attacking midfielder will turn 18 in August, which means he will have no problems signing a professional contract and joining his new club immediately.

Franco Mastantuono after scoring a goal against Barcelona de Guayaquil

However, River insists on retaining him until the end of the year, as the Azul native is already a regular starter in Gallardo's attack and the team will play the decisive phase of the Copa Libertadores in the second half of the year. River advanced to the round of 16 as group leader and is one of the candidates to reach the final, a goal they have not reached since 2019 (they fell to Flamengo 2-1).

So far in the Libertadores, Mastantuono has been a starter in all matches (6), scoring a couple of goals in the victories against Barcelona de Guayaquil (2-3) and Independiente del Valle (6-2). Will Paris Saint-Germain be able to keep the new Argentine 'jewel'?