Overview

• Seventeen-year-old Franco Mastantuono landed in Madrid this weekend ahead of his official registration.
• Real Madrid activated his €45 million release clause to secure the Argentine attacker from River Plate.
• He will become eligible to train and play for the first team on his 18th birthday, August 14, per FIFA rules.
• Coach Xabi Alonso sees Mastantuono as a direct addition to his senior squad rather than a long-term youth project.
• Shirt-number speculation centers on the No. 9 vacancy left by Kylian Mbappé and the absence of Jude Bellingham.