Real Madrid spent €45 million to bring Franco Mastantuono from River Plate last summer. Less than a year later, they’re already looking to send him somewhere else, at least temporarily.

The Spanish giants are planning to loan the 18-year-old Argentine winger to another club for the 2026/27 season, a move designed to get him the first-team minutes that have been nearly impossible to come by at the Bernabeu.

A big-money bet that needs playing time

Mastantuono arrived in Madrid on June 13, 2025, with a six-year contract running through June 2031. He officially turned 18 on August 14, 2025, the same day his contract kicked in.

Mastantuono’s first-team appearances have been limited since his arrival, a reality that has less to do with his ability and more to do with the sheer volume of attacking options already in the squad.

La Liga preferred, but the decision isn’t final

Real Madrid’s preference, according to reports confirmed in early June 2026, is to keep Mastantuono in Europe. Ideally, they’d place him with another La Liga club, which would allow him to continue adapting to Spanish football’s tactical demands without starting from scratch in a completely new environment.

A return to River Plate has been floated, but Real Madrid appears to view that as a step backward rather than forward.

At least one club has already expressed interest in taking Mastantuono on loan, though the identity of that club hasn’t been publicly confirmed. The final decision will reportedly hinge on two factors: the preferences of whoever is managing Real Madrid next season, and Mastantuono’s own input on where he’d like to spend the year.