Real Madrid paid €63 million for Franco Mastantuono.
They called him one of the biggest talents to emerge in world football in recent years.
And a year later, Jose Mourinho has made it clear there is simply no room for him in the squad.
The exit door is open.
And the man who managed him last season wants to make sure his next stop is Craven Cottage.
Fulham lead race for Real Madrid’s Franco Mastantuono on straight loan
According to Diario AS, Real Madrid are ready to green light Mastantuono’s departure on loan this summer, with more than five clubs in Spain and abroad already involved, and Fulham emerging as one of the leading candidates due to the specific influence of their new head coach.
That coach is Alvaro Arbeloa.
The former Real Madrid defender who managed Mastantuono last season as caretaker is now at Craven Cottage, and is pushing internally to make the loan happen.
No buy option will be included.
Real Madrid view Mastantuono as a key part of their long-term future.
This is about development, not departure.
The model being followed is the Endrick blueprint, the Brazilian forward who struggled initially at the Bernabeu, spent four months on loan at Lyon in January and returned having rediscovered his best form, now considered ahead of Mastantuono in the pecking order on the right side of attack.
Mastantuono’s debut season in Madrid was not the arrival anyone had anticipated.
A promising start, eight starts in the first eleven La Liga matches under Xabi Alonso, gave way to injury, a drop in form and an inability to impose the style of play that had convinced Real Madrid to spend such a significant fee.
He wasn’t even included in Argentina’s World Cup squad.
His first pre-season outing under Mourinho against Alcorcon offered little encouragement despite a promising opening.
The broader squad picture makes a loan inevitable.
Bernardo Silva has arrived on a free transfer.
Endrick is back from Lyon with genuine momentum.
Rodrygo’s recovery opens another door in the positions Mastantuono would compete for.
There simply isn’t space.
Fiorentina are also showing interest from Serie A.
But it is Fulham and Arbeloa who hold the most compelling personal advantage.
A manager who knows exactly what the player is capable of and wants to build his first Premier League season around bringing the best out of him.
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