Fabrizio Romano transfer news: Osimhen to Chelsea BOMB, Mazraoui HOLD UP, Sancho DEAL

29 Jul 2024 16:15 BST
5 min read

Football transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano has given the latest updates from the market, including on Noussair Mazraoui to Manchester United, what’s happening with Jadon Sancho, and Victor Osimhen's situation.

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Mazraoui to Man Utd: Don’t expect a quick deal

Romano has warned that there could still be some way to run in the saga linking Mazraoui to Man Utd, despite the fact that both parties want a deal done.

“Man Utd need to guarantee the exit of Aaron Wan-Bissaka,” Romano said.

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“They have contact for several players, including Denzel Dumfries at Inter, Vanderson at Monaco but the most concrete target is Noussair Mazraoui, who could leave Bayern.

“The fee is already clear. Man Utd, in order to proceed, need to sell Wan-Bissaka. Mazraoui is giving total priority to Manchester United, the contract is not a problem. Rafaela Pimenta has already agreed personal terms with Man Utd for Mazraoui but also Matthijs de Ligt. He remains a strong possibility.”

Current ETV

ETV Range

€15.8M - €26.3M

De Ligt setback

If a deal for Mazraoui looks a strong possibility, United’s hopes of landing Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern appear slimmer, with an injury blow at the Allianz Arena further derailing what was already a stalling transfer.

Romano explains: “One of Bayern’s new signings, Hiroki Ito, has broken his foot and this is an important step, but it means they need a new centre-back as soon as possible. They want to sign Jonathan Tah but there’s still no green light from Bayer Leverkusen in the negotiations. He’s waiting for Bayern.

“But Bayern will keep requesting €50 million from Man Utd for De Ligt, which has always been the stumbling block in this story. United were willing to negotiate €30-35m plus bonuses, which they want to be an important part of the structure of the deal. Let’s see if the clubs can find a way.”

Current ETV

ETV Range

€39.6M - €65.9M

PSG still want Sancho

Better news for Man Utd comes in the form of Jadon Sancho, with PSG still interested in the former Borussia Dortmund winger.

“Jadon Sancho remains Man Utd’s main topic of the next few weeks because the club needs to decide internally what they want to do for the English winger. It’s on United, it’s on the player’s side and Erik ten Hag,” Romano explained.

“PSG still have Sancho on their list. They see him one of the potential solutions to that position. The No.1 target was Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but Napoli had absolutely no intention to negotiate. The message has been clear.

“PSG are exploring other options and among these options remains Sancho. They’ve already made contact with the agents of the player but they’ve not been in negotiations with Man Utd because they’ve not decided what they want to do. Remember United and PSG remain in contact with one more player, Manuel Ugarte.”

Current ETV

ETV Range

€31.1M - €51.9M

Osimhen transfer latest: Romano won’t rule out Chelsea

Victor Osimhen’s future remains up in the air, despite having an agreement in principle with PSG.

“The situation between PSG and Victor Osimhen remains the same,” Romano confirmed. “We know that 10-15 days ago, Osimhen gave his green light to joining PSG. He’s very open to joining the project, very enthusiastic about PSG.

“But PSG didn’t like the conditions imposed by Napoli. One of these was to include Kang In-Lee as part of the deal, the other was to pay Osimhen’s release clause. They’re not going to do that. The situation is in total standby, that’s the point.

“The intention of Victor Osimhen remains to leave in the summer. The idea of Osimhen remains to change. The idea of Napoli is very clear: Romelu Lukaku. Antonio Conte, the manager, is crazy for Lukaku. Some contact has already taken place between Conte and Lukaku, they had a fantastic relationship. The contract is ready, it’s a three-year deal. It now depends on Victor Osimhen.

“Between Chelsea and Osimhen, the message is clear. Nothing is happening if the price is the release clause and the salary is the same as he has at Napoli, €12m at Napoli. If this package is reviewed and if the deal with PSG collapses, we can’t exclude anything in the month of August. There’s nothing advanced, there’s nothing concrete, but it could remain one of the options, also because Napoli and Chelsea will discuss Lukaku.”

Indeed, Lukaku could be the deciding factor in this whole saga, with Romano also revealing on X that Napoli are now open to a potential swap deal with Chelsea for Osimhen. For this to materialise, however, the Nigerian would need to lower his wages.

Current ETV

ETV Range

€53.3M - €88.9M

Chelsea still want Omorodion

Chelsea are hedging their bets over the signing of a striker, with Samu Omorodion of Atletico Madrid still a target.

“Chelsea are still looking at the market for potential strikers – a winger and a striker,” Romano said. “These two positions, Chelsea want to cover.

“For the striker, it’s important to explain that they are still following Samu Omorodion. Atletico Madrid are still not giving the green light. Their intention has always been to keep Omorodion at the club. In case this stance changes, Chelsea could be there. It depends on Atletico.

“Don’t forget on Atletico Madrid’s side, there is big appreciation for a Chelsea player. Conor Gallagher is one of the dream targets for Atletico Madrid. He’s not easy, for sure, he’s not cheap, for sure, but in terms of the perfect midfielder, Gallagher is part of their list.”