While Liverpool have been ahead of the curve for much of the last decade when it comes to recruitment, there is still one type of deal the Premier League leaders are yet to really get involved in.
Because, in an era where rivals Manchester City, Manchester United and particularly Chelsea are investing eye-watering sums in largely unproven teenage talent, the most expensive teen signing in Liverpool’s history remains Divock Origi.
And it’s eleven years, by the way, since Origi arrived at Anfield in a £10 million deal from LOSC Lille.
So, while Liverpool scout the brightest talent in South America – River Plate trio Augustin Ruberto, Ian Subiabre and the much-coveted Franco Mastantuono to name but three – that long-standing record is in line for an overdue shattering.
Football correspondent Graeme Bailey told RTK recently that Liverpool watched Argentina duo Ruberto and Subiabre at the Under-20 South American championships at the beginning of 2025. Franco Mastantuono, probably the most heralded of the three Albiceleste wonderkids, also has admirers on Merseyside.
All three, meanwhile, are contracted to a River Plate outfit who should soon have enough dollar bills to fill an aircraft hanger.
Enzo Fernandez talks up Chelsea and Liverpool target Franco Mastantuono
River plan to raise Ian Subiabre’s release clause to somewhere in the region of £30 million. A similar approach to the one they took with Mastantuono – now valued at £40 million – when reports linking the twinkle-toed winger with Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Liverpool emerged a few months back.
Mastantuono would follow in the footsteps of Javier Mascherano and Alexis Mac Allister with a switch to Anfield.
Chelsea’s World Cup-winning playmaker Enzo Fernandez, meanwhile, appears to be doing his level best to lure the Buenos Aires-born 17-year-old to Stamford Bridge instead as the gem-hoarding Blues look to add another shiny young thing to their treasure trove of rough diamonds.
“Franco Mastantuono is doing very well,” Fernandez says in an interview with reporter Gaston Edul. “He has future in Europe future and international potential.
“In my opinion, he’s a star.”
River Plate boss expects to lose either Mastantuono or Ian Subiabre
Fernandez, of course, rose through the ranks at River Plate himself.
He remains the second-most expensive footballer in the history of the British game, having joined Chelsea for a staggering £108 million only a few months after swapping River Plate for Portuguese giants Benfica.
In the meantime, the expectation is that River boss Marcelo Gallardo will accept the sale of either Subiabre or Mastantuono this summer, but not both. Though one of the most successful coaches in South American history would be powerless to prevent two high-profile departures if their respective release clauses are triggered.
“Today, I am 100 per cent here at River,” Mastantuono said back in September, leaving the door ajar to a future in England. “We have something very important ahead of us. Next year, there is the Club World Cup, which is also a dream for me. I don’t think about [the rumours].
“[But] I like watching a lot of European football. Especially the Premier League, which is very entertaining.”
At £40 million, Mastantuono would not merely break Liverpool’s teenage transfer record but obliterate it. Then again, if he is every bit as ‘generational’ a talent as most South American observers would have you believe, he could be worth every penny in the long run.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
