Man Utd to ruin Man City hopes of third signing from same club, with new €50m ace in Ratcliffe sights

Manchester United have been backed to disrupt Pep Guardiola’s move for Argentine starlet Franco Mastantuono, with Manchester City eyeing another raid on River Plate.

Mastantuono is a 16-year-old central attacking midfielder who came through the River Plate academy before making his first-team debut in January. So far, Mastantuono has played 10 times for River Plate, scoring his first goal during the 3-0 Copa Argentina victory over Excursionistas on February 8.

River Plate boss Martin Demichelis, who represented Man City between 2013 and 2016, has been very impressed by Mastantuono and believes he has a bright future ahead of him. But Demichelis is not the only one who has been charmed by the wonderkid’s huge potential.

Mastantuono has represented both Argentina U17s and Argentina U20s, while also emerging as a target for sides in Europe.

On Monday, Fabrizio Romano revealed ‘top European clubs’ are keeping tabs on his development.

HITC have now provided their information on the left-footed playmaker. They state that Premier League giants Man Utd, Man City and Chelsea are all vying to put themselves at the front of the queue for his capture.

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City were the first English side to scout Mastantuono. Last season’s treble winners feel they have the best chance of landing him thanks to two connections in particular.

The first is with Demichelis. As the manager previously played for City, he could convince Mastantuono that the Etihad would be a great destination for him to hone his craft.

Man Utd in for new Man City target

Secondly, City chiefs have a good relationship with their River Plate counterparts after signing Julian Alvarez from the Argentine giants and agreeing a deal for Mastantuono’s current team-mate Claudio Echeverri.

As City have already been in contact with River Plate, they will know exactly what is required to sign Mastantuono, too.

However, that does not guarantee that Guardiola’s side will win the transfer race. As the report mentions, Man Utd are firmly interested, too.

New Man Utd part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has revealed his desire to sign the ‘next Kylian Mbappe’ or ‘next Jude Bellingham’, rather than landing those players for huge money.

This will largely involve the ‘best in class’ British youngsters, such as Jarrad Branthwaite or Michael Olise. But the Red Devils must also cast their net further, which could involve South American youngsters such as Mastantuono.

In previous transfer windows, City would have easily convinced Mastantuono to join them over Man Utd. However, Ratcliffe will likely have a couple of tricks up his sleeve.

Ratcliffe will explain to the teenager his ambitions plans for making Man Utd one of the best teams in the world again, which will involve up-and-coming talents.

Ratcliffe will also point out that City could be faced with a downward spiral if Guardiola leaves when his contract expires in 2025. Just look at what happened to Man Utd and Arsenal previously when Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger left their roles.

River Plate are aware of the growing interest in their latest academy product and are taking the appropriate steps. They have tied Mastantuono down to a new contract which runs until December 2026.

That deal has also increased his exit clause from €30m (£26m) to €5om (£43m). As per Romano, that is one of the biggest release clauses in Argentinian football history.

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