Real Madrid to Loan Franco Mastantuono to Serie A Clubs

Real Madrid have made up their minds. Franco Mastantuono, the teenager they fast-tracked from River Plate with such conviction, will be leaving the Santiago Bernabéu this summer – but only on their terms and only on loan.

According to Marca, a meeting this week between the club and the player’s representatives ended with a clear conclusion: a temporary move is now seen as essential for his development. His first season in Madrid brought flashes of talent but not the rhythm he needs. Minutes came in bursts, not in the steady flow required for an 18-year-old learning a new continent, a new club, a new level.

Madrid believe the solution lies away from home, not away from Europe.

Europe or nowhere

A romantic idea briefly surfaced: a return to River Plate, the club that shaped him and sent him across the Atlantic. It did not last long. Madrid shut that door firmly. No return to South America, no step back, no comfort zone.

The message is blunt. Mastantuono must grow in Europe.

A Premier League move has also been ruled out. No English adventure, no winter chaos, no tactical culture shock. The path points instead towards Italy, a league that suits his passport and, Madrid hope, his profile.

With an Italian passport in his pocket, Mastantuono becomes an even more attractive proposition for Serie A. There are no non-EU complications, no bureaucratic delays. Just a gifted No. 10 available on loan.

Fiorentina have already moved from interest to action, making official contact with Real Madrid over a potential deal. Napoli and AC Milan are watching closely, having previously signalled their admiration. The market is forming around him; August will decide where he lands.

A No. 10, not a winger

For Madrid, this is not just about finding any club. It is about finding the right role.

Inside Valdebebas, there is a firm belief that Mastantuono’s future lies as a classic playmaker, operating in the pockets behind the striker, dictating tempo, threading passes, arriving in dangerous positions between the lines. The No. 10 shirt is not just a number for him; it is a blueprint.

He rarely got that in Spain last season. Under Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa, systems without a traditional attacking midfielder forced him wide. Too often, he hugged the right touchline, asked to stretch the pitch rather than control it. He adapted, but it was compromise, not conviction.

Madrid are determined not to repeat that experiment.

Any loan agreement will come with a non-negotiable condition: Mastantuono must be used centrally, as a playmaker. The club want guarantees from the receiving manager that he will be trusted in his natural role, not shuffled around to plug gaps.

Game time matters. Position matters just as much.

Mourinho, pre-season and the waiting game

Amid all this planning, Mastantuono has kept a good relationship with José Mourinho, the new man in charge of the first team. There is no personal rift, no internal drama. Only a cold, strategic decision about what is best for his career right now.

One key question remains unresolved: will he travel with Madrid on their upcoming pre-season tour? For now, there is no certainty. The club will take their time, sifting through offers, weighing the sporting projects, studying the managers who want him.

They know what they have. They do not intend to rush where they send it.

So Mastantuono waits. His bags are not packed yet, his destination not chosen, his number not printed in another club’s font. What he does know is this: the next step will not be at the Bernabéu, and it will not be in Buenos Aires.

Somewhere in Europe, most likely under the floodlights of Serie A, an 18-year-old No. 10 is about to find out how ready he really is.