Chelsea and Man Utd sent 'Argentine Phil Foden' reminder as Enzo Fernandez endorses transfer

Franco Mastantuono has reminded Chelsea why he's widely regarded as one of the most exciting young players in the world. The 17-year-old attacking midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League recently as .

Mastantuono has featured nine times for Los Millonarios in the Argentine top-flight this year, . Playing a key role in Marcelo Gallardo's side, he's helped River Plate climb to third place in Group B.

The Argentina Under-20 international's eye-catching performances haven't gone under the radar, with . In fact, according to the , Chelsea and Manchester United are interested in signing Mastantuono in the summer transfer window.

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The report claims that the teenager, , has a release clause of £38m in his contract, which expires in December 2026. It's said that the Premier League giants are joined by Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan in the race for his signature.

On Sunday night, Mastantuono showed exactly why he's being closely monitored by Europe's elite, firing River Plate to a 2-1 win over Boca Juniors. Inside the opening half an hour of the Superclásico del fútbol Argentino, .

Mastantuono found the top right-hand corner, . Miguel Merentiel pulled one back for Boca Juniors a few moments later before Sebastián Driussi put River Plate back into the lead.

Earlier this month, Enzo Fernandez tipped his fellow countryman to play in Europe one day. Like Mastantuono, the Chelsea midfielder made a name for himself at River Plate before earning a move to Benfica.

Fernandez joined the Portuguese giants in July 2022, signing a five-year contract at Estádio da Luz. He made just 29 appearances for Benfica before the west Londoners forked out a British record €121m (£107m) transfer fee in January 2023.

The Blues ace penned an eight-and-a-half-year deal at Stamford Bridge, joining Julian Alvarez in the English top-flight. The former Manchester City forward also earned his stripes at River Plate before making the leap over to Europe.

Speaking on , Fernandez said: "He's showing that he has a European future. You can see it. He's an incredible player. He's doing very well and has shown great talent.

"In my opinion, he's a star. I wish him the best and hope he can achieve all his goals. Hopefully he can also help us in the national team."

Mastantuono became the youngest goalscorer in River Plate history last year, finding the net at the age of just 16 years, five months and 25 days, beating the record held by Javier Saviola. The west Londoners will have the chance to take a closer look at the left-footed playmaker in the summer.

Chelsea could face River Plate in the latter stages of the FIFA Club World Cup in Miami. The Blues are joined by Club León, Espérance de Tunis and Flamengo in Group D, meanwhile, Los Millonarios are in Group E with Inter Milan, Monterrey and Urawa Red Diamonds.