Franco Mastantuono's Decision Puts Real Madrid's Highly Anticipated Homecoming on Hold
Real Madrid's signing of Franco Mastantuono from River Plate has persuaded the Spanish club to allow Nico Paz to remain at Como for another season at minimum, based on several media reports.
Xabi Alonso successfully persuaded Mastantuono to reject multiple interested clubs in favor of Real Madrid during the summer transfer window. The Spanish powerhouse has pledged a significant sum of €45 million ($51.7 million) to secure the services of the 17-year-old creative midfielder.
The upcoming addition of Mastantuono, which will be officially announced when he turns 18 in August, has directly influenced the destiny of another graceful left-footed offensive midfielder. According to Sky Italia, Madrid have chosen not to activate the buyback clause in Paz's deal to return the former youth player to the Spanish capital.
This choice resulted from Mastantuono's signing, Fabrizio Romano reports.
Nico Paz vs. Franco Mastantuono Stats
Stat | Nico Paz | Franco Mastantuono |
|---|---|---|
Age | 20 | 17 |
Club Appearances | 97 | 64 |
Club Goals | 19 | 10 |
Club Assists | 16 | 7 |
International Caps | 3 | 1 |
Paz is three years senior to his Argentine teammate and therefore has accumulated significantly more matches, despite Mastantuono competing at senior level since age 16 and becoming River's youngest goalscorer ever. Nevertheless, when focusing solely on top-level performances, Paz managed only eight brief appearances for Madrid's senior squad before excelling in his debut season as a regular starter in Serie A with Como.
Serving as the fluid attacking orchestrator for Cesc Fàbregas's unexpected success story, Paz accumulated an outstanding eight Serie A assists during the previous campaign—a figure that only three players in the league could surpass. Only Inter star Nicolò Barella delivered more key passes than Como's creative midfielder last season.
Mastantuono possesses similar creativity while also providing a dangerous long-range strike capability.
Madrid's opportunity to reunite with Paz remains available. As various sources have confirmed, Alonso's team retains the option to purchase their former youth prospect for €9 million ($10.6 million) next summer or €10 million ($11.8 million) in 2027.