Madrid Smashes Transfer Record to Land Midfield Sensation

Real Madrid has announced the acquisition of young midfield talent Franco Mastantuono from River Plate.

At just 17 years old, Mastantuono is considered among the most promising young prospects globally and recently enhanced his reputation by becoming Argentina's youngest-ever player to feature in a competitive international match.

While Paris Saint-Germain appeared set to secure Mastantuono's services, Real Madrid ultimately outmaneuvered their competition to secure the youngster with a long-term contract.

Reports indicate that Madrid activated Mastantuono's $45 million release clause to finalize the transfer.

According to an official club statement, Mastantuono will join the Spanish giants in August after his 18th birthday, commencing a six-year deal at the Santiago Bernabéu.

This acquisition marks Real Madrid's third signing in what has become an increasingly active transfer window. They previously secured center back Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth before the window officially opened, and arranged for Trent Alexander-Arnold's early arrival in time for the Club World Cup.

There were speculations that Madrid hoped to bring Mastantuono to this summer's tournament, potentially leveraging his Italian heritage to facilitate an earlier European move, but he will instead remain with River Plate for the coming months.

Sources suggest that Madrid has included a massive €1 billion (£852 million, $1.16 billion) release clause in Mastantuono's contract to safeguard against future approaches from other clubs.