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We can now confirm it’s ‘here we go’ for three important deals, with Julian Alvarez set to sign for Atletico Madrid from Manchester City, in what is a record sale for them, while the deal was only made possible as Samu Omorodion is now set to leave Atletico to sign for Chelsea.
Omorodion will become a new Chelsea player – the verbal agreement is done and we’re just waiting for the formal steps. Atletico Madrid will receive £35.4m, and although earlier in the summer they rejected a bid for Omorodion and wanted to keep the player, their stance changed when they saw the opportunity to sign a fantastic striker like Julian Alvarez.
But again, Conor Gallagher was also an important part of the domino. It was technically a separate deal, but it was part of the discussion. Gallagher was always the top target in midfield for Atletico and for Diego Simeone, and last night he flew from London to Madrid to become a new Atletico player in a €42m deal.
It’s an important sale for Chelsea because of Financial Fair Play, and also because they didn’t have any agreement with Gallagher over a new contract, so they were scared about the possibility of losing the player on a free transfer next summer.
So, Atletico are signing Alvarez and Gallagher, and Omorodion to Chelsea is also done, with this crazy domino finally coming to a conclusion. There was big tension on Tuesday, the deal looked in danger, but now everything is verbally agreed and just waiting to sign the contracts.
As for Omorodion’s medical, for now he is at the Olympics, so everything is being planned taking into consideration that he has an Olympic final to play. In terms of how this deal impacts other strikers, there is no news on Victor Osimhen yet, while on Marc Guiu we can confirm that a loan move is a possibility being assessed internally – Enzo Maresca will also have a say on this.
Another major deal is the ‘here we go’ for Dani Olmo to Barcelona. An agreement has been reached with RB Leipzig for a deal worth €55m, €7m in difficult add-ons, for example if Barca win the Champions League in the next six years. But for sure the deal is done and Olmo has been in Barcelona to have his medical.
So, Olmo to Barca is a done deal and it’s their first signing of the summer. They may not be done yet though as they are still thinking of Joao Cancelo, they’re just waiting to understand how they can make it happen with Financial Fair Play. It’s still at the early stages, but Cancelo is hoping to join Barca and waiting for Barca.
It’s not close yet, but the contacts are still active as we wait to see if Barcelona and Manchester City can find an agreement, or if Cancelo will join another club, because the plan remains for Cancelo to leave Manchester City.
We also know Barcelona wanted Nico Williams, so is this saga over yet? It will officially be over when Williams will officially announce his decision. For sure he’s now back at Athletic in a fantastic mood, while Athletic remain relaxed and convinced that he’s going to end up staying. But it’s also the case that Barcelona are still attentive to the situation and keep calling Williams’ agent on daily basis.
A big story from yesterday is on the future of Martin Zubimendi – Liverpool are on it, Liverpool are working on a deal to sign the Real Sociedad midfielder. His release clause is €60m, so it’s an expensive deal, but Liverpool want to go very big on this one – they feel they can reach an agreement with Sociedad or trigger the clause, so they’re very optimistic.
Liverpool are now working on the player side, because many clubs tried to convince Zubimendi in the last couple of years – Barca, Bayern, Arsenal, many clubs spoke to the player, he wasn’t keen on the move, but now Liverpool are going very big. They are using the ability of their directors to convince the player, present the contract proposal, and find a way to get the deal done.
Contacts are ongoing with both player and club. Liverpool want Zubimendi and they are confident, optimistic to make it happen while there are still steps to follow on this story to get it done. It’s important also to clarify that Arsenal were never negotiating for Zubimendi this summer, while I’ve never heard anything concrete about Man United so far.
Let me say that this would be a fantastic signing, as Zubimendi is a special midfielder, his footballing brain is different, in the top, top category. He might not be as well known around Europe as some other bigger names, but we’ve seen his quality in the Champions League and also with the Spanish national team – what he’s doing on a regular basis is fantastic.
That’s not all for Liverpool, as I expect them to be busy on the market in August. So for now their focus is on Zubimendi, but there could be more names coming in soon for Liverpool.
Manchester United are still working and keeping contacts active for Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui. Despite the links with Denzel Dumfries, their top target at right-back is Mazraoui because he’s a player who can also fill in on the left-hand side, and because he’s well known by Erik ten Hag.
However, one crucial detail is that Man United are still waiting for Aaron Wan-Bissaka to leave the club. This is the stumbling block at the moment, with United waiting patiently for the player to give the green light to West Ham, or to maybe find another solution.
Still, United’s focus is on De Ligt and Mazraoui, and both players also have the intention to wait for United. Ten Hag hopes to have both players as soon as possible because the start of the Premier League season is getting closer now, so it’s going to be an important ten days or so as both these players wait to get the chance to move to Old Trafford.
Remember as well that Bayern have an agreement to sign Jonathan Tah from Bayer Leverkusen, so they can close that deal once they make sales first, so they’re just waiting to be able to offload De Ligt and Mazraoui.
Finally on United – Fulham had two bids rejected for Scott McTominay and now it’s gone quiet. Man United always asked for £30m so there’s a big difference in valuation. There’s no agreement now and it looks quiet, but before saying it’s over we have to wait and see what Fulham decide to do. McTominay remains available on the market for a fee of around £30m.
A lot continues to be written about the Eddie Nketiah and Marseille situation, so I thought I’d once again clarify my understanding of this saga here.
From what I know, Arsenal are open to re-discussing terms with Marseille after initially rejecting a €27m bid and asking for €35m, plus a sell-on clause. Now they can be open to discuss and negotiate different structure.
The precise asking price is not something clear yet but the two clubs have been in touch again and Arsenal can be open to discuss terms with OM. Nketiah had already agreed on personal terms, so no issue there, and it’s now on the clubs to reach an agreement.
Willian Pacho to PSG is getting closer, with the Eintracht Frankfurt defender flying to Paris for a medical to finalise a deal worth €40m plus €5m in add-ons. But what does this signing mean for PSG’s other defenders?
Milan Skriniar has always been available on the market but there are currently no bids or talks taking place for him, it’s quiet. In any case, a left-footed centre-back was needed as Lucas Hernandez is injured and Presnel Kimpembe is returning after a long injury, so PSG believe Pacho is an excellent talent and with big potential.
