AC Milan are big admirers of River Plate talent Franco Mastantuono, but the issue is that they are one of 17 clubs who are after him.
According to what is being reported be Olé (via Calciomercato.com), Marcelo Gallardo and River Plate are trying to keep hold of Mastantuono as he continues to turn the heads of big European clubs, but there is a release clause in his contract which makes it difficult.
As of today there are 17 clubs on the trail of the 17-year-old across the main European leagues. Besides Inter, Juve and Milan in Italy, there are Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in Spain, then Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen in Germany.
Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille in France are keen, then, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle and Wolverhampton in England. Lyon are also on the list, having made an unsuccessful attempt, while Manchester City remain more on the sidelines.
It is a sort of ‘Royal Rumble’ for Mastantuono and there are no favourites at present. The player has not expressed a preference for a particular team, so the message is pretty loud and clear: the best club will be the one that wants him.
How much could it cost to secure the services of Mastantuono? The Argentine newspaper reveals the figures of the release clause in the contract that ties him to River Plate is €45m euros, a significant sum that not all the clubs in the running could or would like to pay.
It is not necessarily the final amount to close the potential deal, because Los Millonarios are not closing the door to another type of agreement. It would have to be a figure of over €40m, but it would allow a more flexible structure such as spread payment and/or the inclusion of bonuses.
