Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on the latest football transfer news, including Manchester United’s Matthijs de Ligt chase, where Riccardo Calafiori stands on a move to Arsenal and Chelsea, as well as Gunners boss Mikel Arteta’s new contract.
Romano confirmed that De Ligt has given the green light for a move to Man Utd but underscored that negotiations between the clubs could be complex.
“Matthijs de Ligt has given the green light to Man Utd over a potential move,” he confirmed. “De Ligt is only negotiating with Manchester United. There are no other clubs in conversations with De Ligt because his only focus is on Man Utd. They are the only club with a green light from the player.
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“The agent of the player, Rafaela Pimenta, is working on this deal. The contract is not going to be a big problem. Talks over personal terms are under way.
“Man Utd will try to be creative with negotiations with Bayern. They want around €50 million. Man Utd will try to offer less than this: €35-40m with add ons. They want a different structure.”
United face a similar issue with Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite.
“The only player Man Utd have bid for until now has been Jarrad Branthwaite. They offered £38m plus add ons. It was rejected. Their appreciation for Branthwaite remains. Everton still want £65-70m for him. If they drop the price, there is the possibility for them to attack,” Romano confirmed.
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Two clubs fight for Xavi Simons deal
On the subject of Bayern Munich, Romano confirmed they are locked in a battle to sign Xavi Simons, who is a player Arsenal were monitoring earlier in the year.
Romano says it is a two-way battle between FCB and RB Leipzig to land the Netherlands international on loan.
“Xavi Simons will decide his future after the Euros,” he said. “He informed PSG of his decision to leave the club. PSG know he will leave. There’s a pact between Xavi Simons and PSG, which is the player will decide where he plays on loan next season. He will have a big say.
“Why is the player more powerful than the club? Because when he joined from PSV, it was a complicated situation. The value of the player was way higher than the fee PSG they paid. They had to concede something to Xavi Simons in order to make the deal.
“Two clubs are really pushing: Bayern are calling on a daily basis for him. Director Max Eberl, who is the same director who signed him at RB Leipzig one year ago, wants to do the same now he’s at Bayern. He’s calling daily, pushing a lot on the player and club.
“RB Leipzig are doing the same. They want to do something important this summer. They extended the contract of Benjamin Sesko, when everyone was saying he was leaving, they extended the contract of Marco Rose until 2026, and now they want to continue with Xavi Simons as one of the faces of the team.
“It’s a work in progress, but the race is still open. But Xavi Simons doesn’t want any distractions during the Euros.”
Romano added: “Bayern are also pushing to sign Jonathan Tah as a new centre-back from Bayer Leverkusen. Very optimistic. Bayern feel it will happen.”
Arteta contract update
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is closing in on a new deal with the club, having led the Gunners to second place in the Premier League in successive seasons.
“The negotiation between Arsenal and the agents of Mikel Arteta are going very well. The contract extension of Arteta at Arsenal is getting closer. There is confidence that it will get done very soon. He wants to continue at Arsenal, Arsenal want to continue with him. His mission is to continue at the club with a new contract,” Romano said.
Arsenal and Chelsea square off for Calafiori
A transfer war between Arsenal and Chelsea remains possible over Bologna centre-back Riccardo Calafiori remains likely, Romano said.
“The negotiations for Calafiori will be talked about in the next days,” he confirmed.
“The interest from Arsenal is there. Arsenal and Chelsea are the two clubs interested in him. Both clubs are looking for a similar player who can play at left-back and can also play as a left-sided centre-back.
“Arsenal have a similar player in Jakub Kiwior but Calafiori is obviously a different kind of player in terms of quality and in terms of how he plays in that position. He’s already been approved by the club, but it now depends on what they want to do. They also have other names on their list.”
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Carney clause confirmed
Romano has said Chelsea youngster Carney Chukwuemeka has a release clause in his contract, but the Blues have no intention of selling him if a club does not trigger it.
“We’ve had many rumours about Carney,” he added. “What we can say is that there is a release clause in his contract. They signed the player from Aston Villa a year ago and the release clause is there. It is £40m.
“Chelsea are showing no intention to negotiate any other price for Carney. We know the market is always changing, but the position of Chelsea is very clear: they’ve got no intention of accepting loan proposals.
“When they’ve been approached by clubs the answer has always been: no thanks. Chelsea want to continue with Carney. He’s happy at Chelsea and not planning anything else.”