Manchester United beat Real Madrid to the signing of Leny Yoro last summer but may be on the receiving end in the pursuit of Franco Mastantuono.
Leny Yoro was a man in demand after shining for Lille in the 2023-24 season.
Manchester United pounced to sign Yoro for £52million, luring the French centre back to Old Trafford in a big-money move.
Yoro’s first season was largely positive, having overcome an injury which kept him out in the early stages of the season.
This move was viewed as a real coup for United at the time, as Real Madrid wanted to sign Yoro but weren’t prepared to invest huge money.
Real decided not to try and hijack Yoro’s move but were left surprised as United paid up to snatch the Frenchman away.
Real Madrid move in for Manchester United target Franco Mastantuono
The Spanish giants don’t often lose transfer races and may now hit back by signing a United target.
Fabrizio Romano claims Real Madrid have now made a firm approach to sign River Plate wonderkid Franco Mastantuono.
Real have contacted River and Mastantuono’s representatives to discuss a potential deal.
Romano adds that Mastantuono’s dream is to join Real, meaning a move to Madrid appears to be his priority now.
United were showing the strongest interest in Mastantuono ahead of the summer window, having been dazzled by his potential in Argentina.
River refused to budge on Mastantuono’s £38.5million release clause, and a move to United would have been complicated by the fact that he only turns 18 in August.
Paris Saint-Germain have been pushing for Mastantuono, but Real are a different beast, both in terms of their standing in the game and Mastantuono’s love for the club.
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Manchester United could still raid River Plate
Mastantuono may be slipping away from United, but a raid on River Plate may still be in mind this summer.
Reports suggest that United have a ‘strong interest’ in signing Ian Subiabre from River Plate.
18-year-old Subiabre hasn’t come close to Mastantuono’s impact in the River Plate first team, but the winger has excelled for Argentina at youth level.
Mastantuono predominantly plays on the right flank but Subiabre operates on the left, notching one goal in 16 first-team outings for River.
The rush for Mastantuono’s signature means United may need to look at other young prospects, but could yet end up simply moving for a different River wonderkid in the search of stars for the future.
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