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AC Milan are keeping a close eye on River Plate youngster Federico Mastantuono who is developing quickly and is also a target for Real Madrid.

As has been reported by Calciomercato.com, Mastantuono actually wanted to be a tennis player when he was growing up, with Novak Djokovic being his hero.

The 2007-born attacking midfielder could be the next major talent to come out of Buenos Aires and arrive in Europe, with his current teammate Claudio Echeverri set to join Manchester City this summer.

Mastantuono is the youngest goalscorer in River Plate’s history and when he was eight, he was considered among the best tennis players in his age category in Argentina. He actually rejected the first advances of River Plate, but eventually devoted himself to football which it turns out he is also excellent at.

Milan supposedly sent scouts to Argentina recently to try to get a closer look at Mastantuono. River Plate recently extended his contract by one year so he is now under contract until 2026. His price tag is rising exponentially, with the release clause originally at €30m, it is now at €45m. In the final 10 days of the transfer window, it will be €50m.

That sort of fee may be a problem for Milan but the interest exists.

This article first appeared on SempreMilan and was syndicated with permission.

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