Fabrizio Romano’s Transfer Updates: Insider Insights on Man Utd, Chelsea, and Barcelona

Football transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano has dropped the latest update on the market, including big news from Chelsea, Manchester United and Barcelona.

Al-Hilal secure two massive deals but Bruno says no

The Saudi Pro League is expected to spend big again this summer, with Al-Hilal leading the charge. Romano says they’ve failed to persuade Bruno Fernandes to make a move, though.

On his YouTube channel, he explained: “Bruno Fernandes said ‘no’ to Al-Hilal. It was a crazy offer. The salary proposal was completely out of this world. After losing Neymar, they wanted to sign Mo Salah but they didn’t, and so they decided to attack with Bruno Fernandes. He’s decided to continue in Europe, to continue on the biggest stage. He doesn’t want to move to Saudi. The decision communicated to Al-Hilal this morning was that he turned down the move.”

But it’s not all bad news for the Saudi side.

“Simone Inzaghi is the new head coach of Al-Hilal. He’s leaving Inter. He’s signed a two-year deal worth €26 million net per season. They’ve also got an agreement with AC Milan for Theo Hernandez: €30m plus €5m. Al-Hilal are now waiting for Theo to make a decision on his future. We’ll see what happens. They’re pushing a lot on the market because they want to do something special in the Club World Cup.”

Why Chelsea have sent Sancho back to Man Utd

Romano confirmed that Chelsea will not sign Jadon Sancho – but it’s not because they didn’t think he’s good enough.

“Jadon Sancho is returning to Manchester United from Chelsea. It’s 100% confirmed,” Romano said.

“The agents of Sancho said that they were not accepting Chelsea’s request on his salary. The real problem wasn’t Chelsea paying the £25m top-up signing, it was the salary.

“When Sancho joined Man Utd, he signed an important contract with a massive and big wage.

“Chelsea were quite happy with Sancho but not to the point they would break their salary structure. So they were never going to accept this situation. Chelsea will sign one more winger: they love Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund. It’s not close to being completed but he’s a strong name on their shortlist.”

Sancho out, Mbeumo in at Man Utd

Romano continued on the subject of Sancho, explaining that he will be on the move again.

“Sancho is returning to Man Utd but he is not staying. They’ve no intention of giving him another chance. He’s on holiday now and will assess his options. He’s one of those players, together with Rashford and Garnacho, who can help Man Utd make some money to reinvest,” Romano said.

“After signing Matheus Cunha, they want to go for Bryan Mbeumo at Brentford. The player has said ‘yes’ to Man Utd and is giving priority to them despite interest from Arsenal and Newcastle, who are offering Champions League football. He’s really tempted.

“So what happens? It depends on club-to-club negotiations. Brentford see him priced similar to Matheus Cunha, something like £60-65m. We have to see how the negotiations will go. We know how tough it is to negotiate with Brentford. For sure, Man Utd want Mbeumo.”

Maignan seen as an ‘opportunity’ for Chelsea

Chelsea will look to sign Mike Maignan from AC Milan, with the France international seen as a player who can have a transformative effect on the team.

The Blues are not about to go all-out for the former Lille shot-stopper, though.

Romano explained: “Chelsea have approached AC Milan for Mike Maignan. They’re working on a deal. Chelsea have many goalkeepers. So why Maignan? They believe they need a world-class goalkeeper.

“If they can’t get this deal done, they have no emergency, but they believe Maignan can be an opportunity. He’s out of contract in one year with Milan, he’s still not signed a contract agreed months ago because the situation has changed – the manager has changed.

“They’re in negotiations with the player and the club. Let’s see how it goes.

“Enzo Maresca has given his signature to this deal. He wants a goalkeeper who has a different level of distribution. Maignan is believed to be perfect for this. He’s very good with the ball. Now it’s on Chelsea and Milan to get a deal done.”

Barcelona signing confirmed

Finally, Romano has confirmed that Barcelona are closing in on highly rated goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who’s been linked with a string of clubs.

He outlined how this deal is currently taking shape, explaining: “Joan Garcia is on the verge of joining Barcelona from Espanyol. So what’s the situation? The formal steps: Barcelona to pay the release clause, to fix the registration of the player. But the verbal agreement was done over the weekend. They’re working on every single step. It’s not something that’s happening in hours, but the deal is absolutely expected to happen.

“The relationship with the agents is excellent. He has the same agents as Dani Olmo. They didn’t only take him to Barcelona a year ago but also protected him in January when he had the chance to leave for free. The agents respected Barca. Now they’re closing in on this deal and Barcelona will pay the €25 million release clause.”

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