As Real Madrid prepare for the FIFA Club World Cup, frustration is growing within the club over the delayed arrivals of Alvaro Carreras and Franco Mastantuono.
According to SPORT, the club has been pushing to bring both Carreras and Mastantuono in early so they could be part of the squad for the Club World Cup.
However, Benfica and River Plate are standing firm, insisting both players stay to represent their current clubs in the tournament.
This has left new manager Xabi Alonso frustrated, as he will now have to wait until after the competition to integrate the young talents into his plans.
Everything was served on a plate
Real Madrid had hoped their willingness to meet the release clauses, €50 million for Carreras and €45 million for Mastantuono, would be enough to smooth the process.
Even though the players themselves are eager to join the Madrid project and were ready to join for the Club World Cup, their respective clubs have remained firm.
In fact, both River Plate and Benfica are delaying the deals intentionally, even though they are guaranteed full payment of the clauses.
With added taxes and operational costs, the entire double deal could end up costing Real Madrid around €120 million.
Two absences for Alonso’s plans
Alonso now faces the challenge of going into his first major tournament as Real Madrid manager without two players he had counted on as reinforcements.
Both players were seen as important pieces in Alonso’s new-look squad, and the inability to count on them during the Club World Cup means Madrid could be stretched thin in terms of depth and rotation.
For now, Real Madrid will need to play the tournament without them and hope that the delays don’t affect the bigger vision that Alonso has for the coming season.
While their arrivals are guaranteed, the timing could not have been worse for a team trying to start a new chapter with fresh energy and ambition.
