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This article was originally published on Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive transfer news via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service here: thedailybriefing.io
Let me start with a big ‘here we go’ as Leny Yoro to Manchester United is a done deal. We’re just waiting now for the player to sign his contract with Man United, but everything is done in terms of the agreement. Lille already accepted an offer last week of €50m plus €12m in add-ons – a fantastic offer for Lille for a player who is out of contract next summer – and then United were also able to agree a contract with Yoro, who will join on a five-year deal with the option of one more year on top of that.
Yoro has already been in Manchester in the last 24 hours to undergo medical tests, with the first part of those tests already done. He will complete more tests and then sign the contract as a new Manchester United player. My opinion is that although this is expensive, it looks like an excellent and elite signing for Man United, as we know Yoro was also wanted by a number of other top clubs.
Real Madrid made their move but it was always the same, clear strategy: join now for €20-25m or join next summer on free transfer. Real have been clear with Yoro but he didn’t want to wait longer, Real were never going to pay €50m for a player out of contract in one season. Man United’s strategy was expensive but absolutely smart and perfect, the only way to sign the player. Liverpool were also interested but they also didn’t want to spend over €60m package for Yoro, even if they appreciated the player.
Paris Saint-Germain were also interested but Yoro wanted to try a new challenge in a different league, so really it was Real Madrid who were the main rivals to United in this deal. Yoro waited one week for Real Madrid, but they were out of the conversation with Lille after they accepted Man United’s bid. Then after a week of waiting, they understood that Yoro eventually decided to accept the chance to move to Old Trafford instead. Real Madrid was Yoro’s biggest dream, he really wanted to go there, but then he decided to move to Man United after seeing how strong and convincing they were in talks with the player and his family, also in terms of the project and offering him an important salary.
And so United have been able to sign a fantastic defender, it looks like a really great signing. Some fans have been asking me about what this deal means for the interest in Matthijs de Ligt – for now, the discussions have been positive and advanced but now for Man United it’s time to think about the outgoings. Man United still want one more centre-back but selling players is absolutely crucial for them, this is why the Matthijs de Ligt story remains open but not imminent now.
Xavi Simons continues to be linked with Manchester United and it’s something realistic because there has long been plenty of interest from him around Europe, including in England. However, I’ve been checking with my sources and they’re still saying the same thing – that Simons is most likely to continue in Germany next season.
We know that Bayern Munich are trying to sign Simons, but RB Leipzig are also still absolutely in the mix. Nothing has been decided yet, but it’s between Bayern and Leipzig. Max Eberl is pushing every day to bring Simons to Bayern after he also signed him when he was at Leipzig last summer.
I don’t expect this to be a long saga that drags into August because Simons wants to decide soon, but for now it’s between Bayern and Leipzig, and Man United are not in advanced talks over Simons.
There continue to be plenty of transfer rumours about Joao Neves, and what I’m told is that the talented young Benfica midfielder is ready to say yes to Paris Saint-Germain. Neves is attracted to the PSG project and to the idea of working under a coach like Luis Enrique, who has always done a good job with technical players in midfield similar to Neves.
So, on the player side this is all okay, but the most important part now is for the two clubs to reach an agreement. PSG have informed Benfica of their interest, but the reality is that Benfica have always said they want the €120m release clause – they’re not going to accept any offers like €60-70m.
This is Benfica’s position, but PSG want to continue pushing in order to anticipate English clubs who are also interested in Neves. PSG want to go strong with this one, they know it’s not easy, but they know the player is keen on the move, and that he’s attracted by the project and keen to work under Enrique, who he considers a fantastic coach.
Another big story for PSG is that Victor Osimhen is really open to making the move to Paris. Luis Campos was also the director at Lille when Osimhen was there, so this is an important factor, and so far the conversations with the Napoli striker’s agents have been very positive. The contract for Osimhen is not expected to be a problem, but similarly to the Neves story, the negotiation between PSG and Napoli will be important.
At the moment, the situation between the two clubs is tense after the talk of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia earlier this summer. How PSG went about their interest in Kvaratskhelia made Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis upset, and so now they need to find a way to come to an agreement. PSG want to pay under Osimhen’s release clause, and so conversations are ongoing.
So, the situation is that PSG are advancing in talks with the player, he’s open to joining PSG. PSG want to negotiate but we know it’s never easy with Napoli. For sure, the priority for Osimhen is to leave Napoli and this is the intention. PSG are on it, in case Osimhen leaves Napoli will surely go for Romelu Lukaku as his replacement.
I know Arsenal fans are keen for an update on Riccardo Calafiori, but there are no substantial changes to the situation yet. Arsenal and Bologna remain in contact but there’s no agreement over the €50m fee.
The issue is that Bologna want guaranteed money while Arsenal’s proposal includes add-ons structure to get to €50m potential fee. Despite what has been suggested elsewhere, there’s no ‘issue’ with Basel: they will receive 50% of the deal, that’s it. Bologna want €50m fixed exactly because they have to give over €20m to Basel, this is the point.
Let’s see if the clubs can reach a breakthrough in talks soon, but for now there isn’t really any major development to report.
Juventus can bid for Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo as soon as they sell at least one more player. Talks are ongoing to sell Soule, Chiesa, Dean Huijsen. For sure Juventus already have the green light from Todibo, and he will wait for them despite West Ham agreeing a deal with Nice.
Juve will be Todibo’s priority, so let’s see what they can do in terms of player sales before making their move to Nice. We’ll see as well if other clubs get involved as it’s still early this summer, so anything can happen.
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