Offer made: Man Utd now make approach to sign "insane" £38m creative genius
da esoccer bet： Manchester United have now made an approach to sign a “creative genius”, but there will be competition for his signature from Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, according to a report.
Man Utd keen to bolster attacking options
da doce： In truth, there are many areas of the Man United squad in urgent need of strengthening, but they have looked particularly poor going forward this season, with Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund bagging just seven Premier League goals between them.
As such, United are set to bolster their attacking options this summer, having recently held talks over a deal for Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman, while they have also offered a five-year contract to Wolverhampton Wanderers star Matheus Cunha.
With Ruben Amorim perhaps looking to ease the burden on Bruno Fernandes, there have also been suggestions the Red Devils could bring in a new attacking midfielder this summer, with Manchester City’s James McAtee emerging as a surprise potential target.
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McAtee is not the only young playmaker on the shortlist, however, with a report from Argentina revealing Man United have now made an offer of some description for River Plate maestro Franco Mastantuono (via Sport Witness).
It is unclear whether United have submitted a genuine bid or a verbal offer, but it appears as though they have made a move of some kind, despite the fact River Plate are determined to keep hold of Mastantuono for the rest of 2025 at the bare minimum.
However, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are also keen on the 17-year-old, and the Argentine side could be powerless to prevent his departure if any of the interested parties are willing to stump up his €45m (£38m) release clause, which is in place until December 2026.
"Creative genius" Mastantuono could be future star
River Plate defeated bitter rivals Boca Juniors in the Superclasico at the weekend, and the teenager played a major role in the victory, most notably scoring a stunning free-kick to give his side the lead in the first half.
Ben Mattinson has dubbed the starlet as a “creative genius” in the past, and the freelance scout was left particularly impressed by his performance against Boca Juniors, singling the Argentine out for high praise.
The youngster already has a great deal of first-team experience with River Plate, picking up seven goals and five assists in 55 appearances, and there is every sign he could go on to be a star in Europe very soon.
However, Man United may find it difficult to compete for Mastantuono’s signature, given the interest from Real Madrid and PSG, particularly if they do not manage to qualify for next season’s Champions League.