Liverpool leading Real Madrid for £41m star who’s in the “Palmer mould”

The Premier League has watched in envy as Cole Palmer’s career shot to stratospheric heights with Chelsea, signing in 2023 after being discarded by Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

Things could be very, very different, had the four-in-a-row English champions kept onto one of the biggest talents in world football. Liverpool, most likely, would be embroiled in another draining title fight with the indomitable Citizens.

As it happens, the Reds have placed themselves into the driving seat in the 2024/25 title race, while City have fallen away in a dramatic decline. Arne Slot’s side are thriving, but there’s no question that improvements could be made down Anfield Road.

Were Liverpool to boast their own version of Palmer, who is supercharging Chelsea’s surprise season, they might just hit another, higher, invincible level.

Liverpool transfer news

According to Spanish sources, Liverpool are leading the race for River Plate wonderkid Franco Mastantuono, and that’s despite Real Madrid being firmly in the picture too.

The 17-year-old attacking midfielder has been riding the crest of a wave in his homeland and has also tempted Arsenal and Chelsea, but it is the Merseyside outfit who are in the driving seat.

The Argentinian giants would be looking for €50m (£41m) to part ways with their prized possession, and while this is a significant figure for an unknown commodity, Liverpool must recognise the value in signing one of the biggest talents in South American football.

What Mastantuono would bring to Liverpool

He may only be 17, but Mastantuono has already demonstrated significant potential. River Plate is well regarded across the globe for its production line, with Enzo Fernandez and Julian Alvarez both hailing from the Belgrano neighbourhood of Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires.

Given that he’s an Argentine attacking midfielder, comparisons to the great Lionel Messi are obviously floating around, but a deeper analytical dive would suggest that he is of a different mould.

While it’s true that Matantuono is distinguishable by his elite-level technical quality, he channels his talents down playmaking avenues to a degree that differentiates him from someone like Messi, who was an unstoppable ball carrier throughout the early stages of his career, and indeed to the present day, even with his pace having receded.

That’s not to say he doesn’t use his skills in a similar manner, as you can see from his incredible free-kick for River Plate earlier in 2024 when he was still only 16.

Having posted only three goals and three assists across 41 professional appearances, there’s no question that he has much to work on, but Mastantuono has demonstrated amply his perfect style for Premier League football.

After all, he’s considered to have stylistic similarities to Chelsea’s Palmer, and when considering the remarkable impact the England international has had since joining the Blues in a £42.5m deal, Liverpool would be wise to complete this move and create their own version.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the best playmakers in world football and the 32-year-old Mohamed Salah has adjusted his game to promote greater creative output as his athletic qualities regress, but Liverpool could certainly do with more of this from the middle of the park.

Palmer, for example, provides this for Chelsea and then some, joint-second in the Premier League this season for big chances created (12).

Analysts such as Ben Mattinson have picked up on the similarities between the Three Lions man and the fledgling Mastantuono – who is in the “Olise/Palmer mould” – having detailed that he would be the perfect addition to ‘balance’ Real Madrid’s superstar-packed attack.

But Liverpool too could benefit from this, with his high-level passing game something that might be tailor-made for Slot’s system – and it’s a system built to last at Anfield.

While the Argentina youth has yet to reach Palmer’s clinical levels, this is hardly to his detriment. Looking at the underlying data, however, does present a rather curious trend that advertises not only the teenager’s ball-playing ability but also his athleticism and defensive work rate.

He is a fierce tackler, combative and determined, and this underpins the attractive fabric of his style with firm nails. Goals and assists will come, to be sure, but there’s actually a suggestion here that Liverpool could get their mitts on a more varied and complete version of Palmer.

He’s nifty and tricky, no doubt, but Mastantuono is also everything that you’d want in a number ten, and more. Slot’s Liverpool set-up demands creativity but it is also an industrious thing and requires plenty of running and tenacity – just look at Dominik Szoboszlai and his importance, even though he’s not the most potent player on the block.

At his core, though, Mastantuono is one of the most technically gifted gems around, with talent scout Jacek Kulig describing him as “one of the most enjoyable youngsters to watch in world football.”

Whether FSG would be willing to play to the tune of £41m is open to question, but there’s no doubt that he’s got an extremely high ceiling, and wouldn’t it be nice to beat the likes of Los Blancos to his touted signature?