MAN UTD PLOT AMBITIONS £54M RAID FOR ARGENTINE DUO BUT FACE REAL MADRID COMPETITION

Manchester United are interested in signing a couple of youngsters from Argentina, but the club faces stiff competition from Real Madrid.

With Sir Jim Ratcliffe keen to change the fortunes at the club, the Red Devils seem to be gearing up for a big summer transfer window.

A youthful core has emerged at Old Trafford of late with the likes of Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund all taking centre stage at the club.

Going off the latest reports, it seems as if United want to target younger players in the upcoming window and they already have a few targets in mind.

According to reports in Spain, Man Utd are among the clubs who are interested in signing River Plate midfielder Franco Mastantuono.

The 16-year-old attacking midfielder has only made 10 senior appearances since making his debut earlier this year, but he’s already started to garner plenty of hype.

Along with United, the likes of PSG, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Man City, Real Madrid and Barcelona have also been keeping tabs on the playmaker.

Given the youngster’s lofty potential, it’s claimed that River Plate could demand around £36m for his services which certainly isn’t cheap.

Along with Mastantuono, the Red Devils are also interested in a deal for Boca Juniors defender Aaron Anselmino.

According to Ole (via Metro), United have ‘firmed up’ their interest in the 18-year-old defender by opening talks with Boca Juniors over a potential deal.

Anselmino has only made seven senior appearances up until this point but like Mastantuono, he’s already grown quite a reputation for himself in Argentina.

The defender signed a new with Boca Juniors earlier this year which is valid until the end of 2028. However, the deal does include an £18.5m release clause.

It’s currently thought that if United do sign Anselmino this summer, they will send him out on loan in his debut season in order to gain some much-needed experience.

With the likes of Raphael Varane, Jonny Evans, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof facing an uncertain long-term future at Old Trafford, it makes sense that the club is exploring younger options in this position.

Signing a player like Anselmino would be very exciting for United, although the club does face some stiff competition to land his signature.

According to reports, AC Milan and Real Madrid are also keeping tabs on the Boca Juniors youngster ahead of the summer.

When asked about the transfer speculation surrounding him, the defender told reporters: “My head is here at Boca. I want to win titles here and win titles with this shirt. Nothing has come from outside.”

If United do end up signing both Anselmino and Mastantuono, the club could end up paying as much as £54m to secure the Argentine duo.

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2024-03-29T10:11:12Z dg43tfdfdgfd