Real Madrid’s Franco Mastantuono is set to join Serie A club Fiorentina on loan, only a year after signing for Madrid in deal worth €63.2million (£54.1m; $72.8m).The Athletic reported in the Transfer DealSheet on July 28 that Mastantuono could leave the Bernabeu this summer, after joining from River Plate last year. The 18-year-old has attracted interest from multiple European clubs, with both the player and River also keen on a reunion.However, Madrid did not consider that proposal and also rejected an approach from a Saudi Arabian team as they wanted Mastantuono to remain in Europe. He he is now expected to join Fiorentina, one of the clubs to show a concrete interest in the player, on a straight loan agreement, with no option to make the move permanent.Mastantuono made 35 appearances in all competitions in his debut season at Madrid, scoring three goals and providing one assist. Capable of operating as an attacking midfielder or as a winger, he was mainly deployed on the right flank but made just 11 starts in the league.After coming through the academy at River, Mastantuono made his debut for the senior side in 2024 as a 16-year-old, becoming the team’s third-youngest ever player. He went on to record 10 goals and seven assists in 64 appearances for the club.Upon joining Madrid, River said that the deal was worth €63.2m, with the club receiving €45m and the remaining €18.2m being distributed between the Spanish tax authorities (€11.8m), the players’ association, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) structural funds and additional fees.Mastantuono, who holds dual Italian-Argentinian citizenship, made his senior international debut for Argentina in June last year, becoming the nation’s youngest debutant at 17 years and 296 days. He has earned four caps in total.A disappointing start to Mastantuono’s Madrid careerAnalysis by Tomas Hill Lopez-MencheroThis is certainly not what Real Madrid had in mind when they signed Franco Mastantuono in a deal worth €63.2m last summer.The 18-year-old showed some bright early signs, but also seemed to struggle with the jump from Argentina to the European game. He produced more outbursts of frustration than La Liga goals in his debut season at the Bernabeu, kicking a ball into the stands during a derby defeat to Atletico Madrid and being sent off for dissent in a game against Getafe. A persistent groin problem did not help and his omission from Argentina’s World Cup squad was a reflection of his troubles in Spain.The hope will be that this move to Serie A allows Mastantuono the chance to get up to speed away from the expectations of one of the world’s most demanding clubs. A similar move worked for another South American talent last season in Endrick, who scored eight times on loan at Lyon from January and is now back with a view to fighting for his place at Madrid.But that does not take away from the sense of disappointment for a youngster who arrived to such high expectations a year ago.