Tottenham Hotspur could sign Real Madrid teenager but there's a catch: report

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Spurs have been linked with one of Europe's hottest prospects but have obstacles to overcome

Igor Tudor, head coach of Juventus FC gestures during the Serie A 2025/2026 football match between SS Lazio and Juventus FC at Stadio Olimpico. Rome (Italy), October 26th, 2025
Igor Tudor will hope he will remain in charge of a Premier League club come the summer (Image credit: Getty Images)

Tottenham are eyeing up one of Europe’s brightest young talents for a summer €50 million swoop.

Spurs may be sleepwalking towards the Premier League’s relegation zone at the moment, but that hasn’t stopped them from scouting potential new blood ahead of a vital summer of business, according to reports.

And for €50m, they might just be able to prise Real Madrid from their 18-year-old Argentine wonderkid.

Spurs are in for Real Madrid teenager but on one condition

Franco Mastantuono is a capable player for his age, but this season has not been what he might have hoped.

The attacking midfielder has understandably struggled for minutes across a frontline that boasts Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham, and Brahim Diaz.

River Plate wonderkid Franco Mastantuono

Francis Mastantuono began his career at River Plate (Image credit: Getty Images)

Instead, a move to the Premier League might open the door to regular top-flight football, and Spurs are keeping tabs on the situation, according to CaughtOffside.

James Maddison, Mohammed Kudus, and Dejan Kulusevski all suffered long-term injuries this season, while Richarlison, Mathys Tel, and Randal Kolo Muani have huffed and puffed all season long with insufficient output between them to show for it.

Mastantuono would bring technical prowess and unpredictability to a turgid front line in North London, but also a grounded determination at odds with his bleached-blond buzzcut hairstyle.

Brighton and Chelsea are reportedly sniffing around too, but many clubs will be unwilling to part with such a huge fee for a relatively unproven prospect.

And for Spurs, there is a catch.

Tottenham midfielder James Maddison has struggled with injuries this season

James Maddison has been out since last season's Europa League semi-final with Eintracht Frankfurt (Image credit: Getty Images)

Should they fulfill their fans’ worst fears and be relegated this season, the chances of a new €50m signing from Real Madrid are absolutely zero.

The Spurs hierarchy would need to ruthlessly slash the wage budget in the Championship, and even then would be in dire financial straits as a direct consequence of spending a season in the second tier.

Tottenham currently sit 16th, four points above West Ham in 18th, and will be nervously looking over their shoulder until the end of the season.

Joseph Saunders
Joseph Saunders

Joseph is a current News Associates trainee studying for his NCTJ qualification after graduating from Durham University with a Physics degree. He spends his free time watching any sport he can find on TV and explaining how his degree is applicable to sports journalism to his family. Joseph supports Arsenal and has years of past FourFourTwo magazines storage, but has written on over 20 sports for publications such as The Mirror, LondonWorld, and Yahoo.com.

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