Villarreal is cited as the favorite to sign 18-year-old Argentine winger Franco Mastantuono, who may leave Real Madrid to gain more playing time after being recruited by the club last year. In addition to interest from Inter and River Plate, Stade Rennais had made an inquiry about the player, with Sporting CP, Benfica, and Tottenham also monitoring his situation. It is reported that Real Madrid has rejected several of these interested clubs. Mastantuono, who has 4 caps for Argentina, made 23 appearances and scored one goal in the 2025/2026 LaLiga season. His contract with Real Madrid is valid until 2031 and his current Transfermarkt market value is €45.00m. The club signed him from River Plate in August 2025 for a reported fee between €60 million and €63.2 million, and reports from early 2026 mentioned a potential offer of around €50 million from Tottenham, with a later report in April 2026 mentioning a €45 million offer.