Romano: Arsenal hope to land Alvarez in the final moments; Liverpool pushing for Barcola deal

On August 27, Romano updated his podcast, reporting on transfer developments at the end of the summer window involving players such as Jackson, Alvarez, Barcola, and Balde. The following is the full content of this podcast episode.

Jackson close to joining Aston Villa; Chelsea continue clearing out their attack

Good evening, everyone! Welcome back to the channel, where, as always, we bring you the latest transfer market updates. We are here for you day and night. It’s already Thursday, and the summer window is about to enter its final weekend, followed by Monday and Tuesday, with the deadline on Tuesday night. So stay tuned for the latest updates, video summaries, and all the transfer news.

"As I record this video, it is already 2:30 AM Italian time. Aston Villa are currently finalizing some minor details of the deal with Nicolas Jackson's agent. Villa and Chelsea have reached a full agreement, with the transfer fee set at £65 million. Also, don't forget that Chelsea previously sold Enzo Fernández to Nottingham Forest, and now they have agreed with Villa on the Nicolas Jackson deal, with the player ready to join Aston Villa. That means additional funds are coming in, with Chelsea set to receive over £100 million from these two players."

"The next player likely to leave on a permanent transfer is Spanish forward Marc Guiu, with Napoli actively pushing to sign him. Negotiations are currently at a fairly advanced stage, with Chelsea initially asking for £25 million and Napoli offering £15 million. Although there is a gap in valuation, talks are ongoing, and the player himself wants to join Napoli. So imagine, Chelsea could receive more than £115 million to £120 million from these three attacking forwards. This is obviously an important situation worth mentioning. Therefore, I expect the 'Here we go' for Jackson joining Villa could arrive at any moment in the next few hours, as only the final contractual details remain, personal terms have largely been agreed, and Nicolas Jackson is about to become a new Villa player."

Alvarez tug-of-war: Barcelona and Atlético Madrid clash; Arsenal watching closely

"The situation with Alvarez is about to enter its final critical stage. What has happened in the past 24 hours? Barcelona president Joan Laporta has taken a firm stance, speaking publicly through the club's official channels. It was a very official and strong message: 'We are waiting for Alvarez, we are still interested in him, we still want Alvarez.' But Atlético Madrid directly rejected that stance and responded by saying, 'The possibility of us selling the player to Barcelona is 0%; we are the victims.' Atlético continues to keep the door closed to Barcelona."

"So, what's the situation with Arsenal now? If you follow my channel and are here every day, you know that I have been telling everyone for the past week—probably since last Thursday or Friday—that Arsenal is indeed involved. Arsenal is indeed working on the Alvarez deal, and Arsenal should absolutely not be underestimated. So, by the end of the summer window, will we see Alvarez in an Arsenal shirt? This question can only be answered by Alvarez because, according to my information, Arsenal is ready to push forward with the deal with Atlético Madrid. Arsenal is very willing to do business with Atlético, and last Friday in London, they met with Atlético's director, Mateu Alemany."

"Financially, with Gabriel Martinelli about to join Al-Hilal after Ollie Watkins — the completion of Watkins' deal to Al-Hilal is an exclusive update tonight; the next will be Gabriel Martinelli. It's just a matter of hours or days, it's basically done. We are still waiting for Martinelli's final green light to say 'Here we go,' but it's basically sorted between the clubs — Arsenal will therefore have additional funds to invest in transfer fees. So this is not a financial issue; Arsenal can find a solution with Atlético regarding the format and structure of the transfer. The real key issue lies with the player."

"Alvarez must now make a decision, perhaps not today, but in the next few days. At this moment, Barcelona is still waiting for him, while Atlético has not opened the door, either publicly or privately. Therefore, as the transfer window approaches its end, Arsenal hopes to get Alvarez's approval, hoping that when Arteta calls, Alvarez will finally pick up the phone. Arsenal then hopes to make this deal happen, but it depends entirely on Alvarez."

"Alvarez must decide whether he wants to wait for Barcelona until the deadline or prefers to stay at Atlético this summer and revisit the situation next year. So, we should not rule out any scenario, because Alvarez has been waiting for Barcelona, and Barcelona has also been waiting for Alvarez for a long time. It is important to point out that Alvarez's situation is entering a critical stage, and we must continue to track it until the end. Arsenal is still closely monitoring this."

Balde prefers to stay

"Speaking of Barcelona and Alejandro Balde, I stand by my sources: Balde wants to stay, fight for his place, and has no desire to leave Barcelona. He maintains excellent relationships with the core members of the dressing room. Therefore, Balde wants to stay. Unless a very generous offer arrives between now and the deadline, and Barcelona decide to accept it, in which case the club would push Balde to leave, that club would have to be a top, top club. In other words, Balde will not accept an ordinary club, or even a generally good club; it would have to be a giant. Apart from that, Balde is very happy to continue at Barcelona."

Liverpool management joins in, continues pushing for Barcola deal

"Furthermore, we must also mention the situation with Bradley Barcola. I mentioned it in my previous videos — I don't remember which episode, but I've talked about it several times over the past few days. I think the next update has to be 'Here we go,' and I'm telling you here: they are negotiating, they are communicating, and the deal is definitely progressing. I can somewhat understand the anxiety of Liverpool fans because, for the past three months, you've been hearing me talk about Barcola, Barcola, Barcola on my channel."

"Initially, everyone was excited because there were many reports saying that Barcola was untouchable and not for sale. Now three months have passed, everyone is talking about Barcola, and you are waiting for the final verdict. But Liverpool are indeed involved, conversations are ongoing, Liverpool are working hard on this, and Barcola is also waiting for Liverpool. Therefore, this deal is definitely progressing and moving forward."

"This deal has reached the highest possible level and is no longer limited to the sporting director level. It is not just about Luis Campos and Richard Hughes; even the club owners — Nasser and Liverpool's Fenway Sports Group, as well as Liverpool's new joint investors — are all working on this deal for Bradley Barcola. So now, this deal is at the highest level in terms of the people involved. Therefore, let's continue to follow it; the Bradley Barcola deal could reach a critical moment at any time. Please stay tuned, because a lot is happening."

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