Newcastle United approached one of the world’s biggest wonderkids, but Real Madrid lure was too much

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Newcastle United want to invest in more stars of the future, rather than relying on signing readymade players.

That has been the club’s mantra ever since the PIF takeover. In the world of PSR, it is not financially feasible for Newcastle United to sign superstar after superstar.

While they have spent big money on the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali, they also took risks on the likes of Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall. They were bought because of their potential, and it has proven to be the correct decision.

It is something they want to do more, with Ross Wilson changing Newcastle’s transfer strategy. That means taking more calculated risks on players from emerging markets, which is something that the Magpies have tried and failed to do in the last 12 months.

Newcastle United tried to sign Franco Mastantuono

The South American market is one that Newcastle United want to tap into. Geordie Boot Boys understand that Newcastle scouts have been watching Rayan, the 19-year-old forward who has been impressing for Vasco da Gama lately.

Whether or not they can sign him remains to be seen, but Rayan is not the first South American teenager that the Magpies have been trying to tempt to Tyneside over the past year.

That is according to the i Paper, who report that Newcastle United made a move to sign Franco Mastantuono 12 months ago.

They report there was a ‘detailed sales pitch’ made for the Argentinian wonderkid, but he would ultimately sign for Real Madrid in the summer of 2025.

Mastantuono cost Los Blancos £40million from River Plate, which tells you all you need to know about his potential. He has already made his senior debut for Real Madrid at 18-years-old, while he is spoken about alongside a generational talent like Lamine Yamal.

In the words of former Real Madrid winger and fellow Argentinian Angel Di Maria, Mastantuono has ‘incredible potential’.

It is incredible potential that Newcastle United tried to buy, but they were unsuccessful.

Paul Mitchell tried to evolve Newcastle United’s transfer strategy

Mastantuono was not the only South American talent that Newcastle United tried to sign 12 months ago.

There was also a move made for Vitor Reis, who ultimately swapped Palmeiras for Manchester City.

Shortly after that deal, it was reported that Newcastle were frustrated to miss out on Vitor Reis, having done so much groundwork on him.

Away from South America, there was the pursuit of Uzbekistan international Abdukodir Khusanov. He was another centre-back with a lot of potential that Newcastle tried to sign but went to Manchester City.

Particularly under Paul Mitchell’s supervision, there were multiple attempts to bring in young players with extremely high ceilings. However, the limitations caused by PSR resulted in Newcastle missing out.

However, it seemingly was not for the lack of trying.