Fabrizio Romano Transfer News: Sancho and Rashford BACK to Man Utd, Chelsea SELL Nkunku, SECRET deal

Tom Weber

• Updated: 26 Mar 2025 15:43 CDT
• 6 min read

News

Fabrizio Romano has provided some massive updates on the biggest transfer stories from around Europe, including the latest on the futures of Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford at Man Utd and Christopher Nkunku at Chelsea.

Real Madrid's new Asencio deal(s)

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano has revealed that Real Madrid have triggered a clause to extend Raul Asencio's contract until 2029.

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"I can confirm that Raul Asencio has formally signed his contract at Real Madrid. And so the contract is valid until June 2029. But the story is not over here because what's going on? My understanding is that Asencio basically had a clause in his contract with the academy - as Asencio at the beginning of the season was still an academy player at Real Madrid - to eventually extend this contract till 2029.

"It was expiring in 2026 and had a release clause of €50 million but also had a specific clause to extend this agreement till 2029. And basically what Real Madrid did in agreement with Asencio, because he had to give a green light to these conditions, is to trigger this clause. So basically, Real Madrid extended the previous contract of Asencio till 2029.

"Why do this? To reward the player, of course, and also to remove the €50 million release clause, which is always dangerous. Asencio was never entertaining talks with any other club despite interest from several countries, including England. He only wanted Real Madrid, but you know, for the club it was important to make sure this new contract was activated.

"My understanding, confirmed also by Emanuel Diaz, the agent of the player, is that Asencio is already in conversations with Real Madrid to sign a completely new contract - and it's likely to happen in the summer. It's not something that is going to happen now in March or April because they are not in a rush.

"Asencio loves Real Madrid. Asencio wants to play for Real Madrid. Asencio wants to win titles for Real Madrid, so he's not even considering the approaches from other clubs. Real Madrid are super happy with Asencio. So basically, what's going on between Asencio and Real Madrid is that now they are already negotiating a new, completely new contract for the summer, valid until June 30, 2031."

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Chelsea currently not planning to send Sancho back to Man Utd

Romano then addressed the situation of Jadon Sancho at Chelsea amid the constant speculation that he could be sent back to parent club Man Utd.

"Chelsea have an obligation to buy Jadon Sancho from Man Utd. At the end of the summer transfer window 2024, they agreed on a loan deal with an obligation to buy Sancho for up to £25m based on Chelsea's position in the final Premier League table.

"But now what we can say on Sancho is that Chelsea can release the player and send him back to Man Utd by paying £5m. What is Chelsea's position as of today? They are quite happy with Sancho. Of course, in the recent months, his performances were not at the same level as at the beginning of the season.

"Sancho is very happy at Chelsea, so he would love to stay at Chelsea, but it really depends on what's going to happen in the next months. At the moment, Chelsea are not activating anything in terms of sending the player back to Man Utd.

"It's also important to clarify that Man Utd are not counting on Sancho, and Sancho is not planning to return to Man Utd. So, in any case, they would need a different solution. It's not about staying at Man Utd.

"But for Chelsea, now full focus on the present, full focus on the Champions League spot, trying to have the best of Sancho for these final months and then assess the situation before the start of the Club World Cup because in that moment they will have to decide: pay £25m, keep the player in the squad, or let him go back to Man Utd but pay a £5m extra fee."

Aston Villa delighted with Rashford

Similarly, Romano revealed Aston Villa's current stance on making Marcus Rashford's loan from Man Utd permanent.

"Aston Villa have an option to buy Rashford for something around £40m, but what's the situation as of today? My understanding is that Aston Villa are very happy with Rashford. When I say Aston Villa, it's Monchi the director, it's all the people at the club and of course the manager.

"Unai Emery loves these kinds of challenges. You know, when the player is talented, the player is good but needs extra motivation, he loves this kind of job. He did that with Marco Asensio, now also with Rashford.

"Aston Villa are not deciding anything now. At the end of March, beginning of April, they are not planning to activate anything for Rashford. At the end of the season, when they understand about Champions League, when they understand about European football, when they understand how the whole season was, they will assess the financial situation.

"Financial Fair Play is a crucial topic for Aston Villa. Then Aston Villa will communicate their decision. But at the moment, what I can tell you is that Villa are very happy with the player from a technical point of view, very happy with the player's attitude in these months. So they are very happy with the situation."

Nkunku to leave Chelsea

Lastly, Romano confirmed that Christopher Nkunku will likely look to leave Chelsea again in the summer.

"In January I was telling you, 'keep an eye on Nkunku, if they receive a permanent transfer proposal, he could leave Chelsea.' They didn't, there was some approach over a loan for Nkunku, but for Chelsea it was never [an option] and for the player it was never [an option].

"My understanding in the case of Nkunku is that there is still a possibility for the player to leave Chelsea in the summer, to try something different and to play on a regular basis elsewhere. That's a possibility.

"There was interest from Bayern, strong interest from Bayern in January, interest from Man Utd. My feeling is that there is still a chance for Nkunku to leave Chelsea in the summer and try a different experience in case there is a good proposal on the table.

"Many players [will] have the opportunity to leave Chelsea on a permanent transfer in the summer. I was mentioning Kepa [Arrizabalaga], I was mentioning [Raheem] Sterling, I was mentioning Ben Chilwell and many others. It's important to say that Nkunku could also be one to watch because he wants to play on a regular basis."