Romano: Arsenal have done everything possible in last 10 days, awaiting Alvarez's decision

According to the latest update from Romano, Arsenal have contacted Alvarez, his family, and his agent multiple times over the past ten days. They have exhausted all their options, and the decision now rests with the player. Romano also provided updates on the transfer situations involving Gakpo, Zirkzee, Gittens, and others.

Romano's blog content

"Hello everyone, and welcome back to the channel.

I'm Fabrizio Romano, bringing you the latest transfer market news as always. Folks, it's Sunday now, and there are less than three days left until the summer window closes.

The transfer market has completely gone crazy, and the next 48 hours are bound to be incredibly busy.

Manchester City are going all out to sign Cody Gakpo. I think this deal is very promising and has a high probability of happening, just waiting for Liverpool to find a replacement. Gakpo has already agreed personal terms with Manchester City, and he also reached a personal agreement with Tottenham in July, but the two clubs failed to agree on a transfer fee at that time. Now Manchester City are confident of signing the Dutch winger for £85 million.

For Liverpool fans, the focus should be on who the Reds will bring in to replace Gakpo. News could break at any time, so please stay tuned in the coming hours. Liverpool are still in close contact with Ismaïla Sarr's agent. An offer from them was previously rejected by Crystal Palace, but talks between all parties are still ongoing. At the last minute of the summer window, we will wait and see whether Liverpool will finalize the Sarr deal or pursue other unexpected targets.

This is a chain transfer: Gakpo leaves for Manchester City, and Liverpool bring in a new winger. As soon as Liverpool complete this move, Gakpo will fly to Manchester for a medical and sign a contract for a fee of £85 million.

On the other side of Manchester, Manchester United are still pushing to offload Joshua Zirkzee. Fiorentina have made an offer for Zirkzee consisting of a €5 million loan fee plus a buy-out clause, while also covering the player's salary. Everything is pending at the moment, dependent on Manchester United's and Zirkzee's own thoughts. Fiorentina are still waiting for a response and want to sign Zirkzee to replace the departed Moise Kean. In addition, Juventus are still interested in Zirkzee. The focus is on Juventus: if Canadian forward Jonathan David leaves Juventus, Juventus will go all out for Zirkzee. Meanwhile, Fiorentina hope to finalize the Zirkzee deal as soon as possible.

If Manchester United allow Zirkzee to leave, they will likely need to bring in an attacking replacement—a situation we will continue to monitor.

Now let's talk about Manchester United's left-back pursuit, which has attracted significant outside attention. Manchester United still plan to strengthen this position and are looking at multiple targets. As far as I know, the deal for Ian Maatsen is no longer possible. Many people are paying attention to this Aston Villa full-back, but the information I have is that there has been no substantial progress in this deal, and it is difficult to finalize. If there are any changes later, I will inform everyone as soon as possible, but as of today, this is the situation with Maatsen.

Let's talk about Balde, which is also a hot topic. Manchester United currently believe that Balde's transfer fee and salary demands are too high. Although communication with the player's agent, Jorge Mendes, began two weeks ago and the relationship between the two parties is still good, this deal has cooled significantly and it has become very difficult to push through. As I said before, Balde is ready to stay at Barcelona.

Many people are asking about a potential Balde and Inter Milan swap deal. There will be no such operation between Inter Milan and Barcelona this summer. Balde, Lautaro, and Bastoni are all off the table; nothing will happen. Rumors about Lautaro Martinez have been circulating for weeks, but he is not going anywhere.

Next, let's talk about Chelsea and clarify a few points.

First, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens. Many Italian media reported that Gittens might join Roma on loan. While respecting the sources of various media outlets, the information I have is that Gittens will not leave on loan, and Chelsea's position is very clear—they are not considering loaning him out. Of course, anything is possible in the last two or three days of the transfer window, and the situation can reverse at any time, so I dare not speak definitively. But for now, Chelsea's stance is that Gittens is not on the loan market, and the club wants to keep him. The team trusts this player, and Xavi Alonso is also very satisfied with him. Unless there is an extreme surprise in the last few hours of the transfer window, I expect Gittens to stay with the team.

In addition, Martinez is about to be officially announced as Chelsea's goalkeeper. "Here we go" has already been issued, and the transfer is imminent. He is transferring from Aston Villa for £7.5 million, signing a two-year contract with a one-year extension option. All procedures between the two clubs have been completed, and everything is ready.

The focus is on Sanchez's situation. Chelsea have now made it clear to Sanchez: if you want to find a new club, you can go find one yourself. The club believes that Mike Penders is the team's future goalkeeper, Martinez is responsible for the present, and Penders will also get his chance—that is Chelsea's plan. Now Sanchez can leave, and we'll see if he can find a new club before the summer window closes.

At the same time, also pay attention to Mudryk's movements; there are still transfer dynamics here. As far as I know, Leeds United have not given up and still want to sign Mudryk. There are reports that Chelsea are willing to send him to Strasbourg, but Mudryk himself wants to stay in England and continue playing in the Premier League following the well-documented controversy of recent years. There might be a surprise or a good opportunity for Mudryk in the last few days of the summer window, but this depends on the chain reaction of the transfer market. What is certain is that the player himself prioritizes staying in the Premier League.

Many viewers are asking about Alvarez and Enzo.

Regarding Enzo, my opinion remains unchanged. He is unlikely to play in this weekend's match. We will continue to wait and see if Chelsea and Manchester City can reach an agreement before the transfer deadline. As of now, Chelsea has not received a formal offer, and Chelsea's asking price for him is extremely high, so the deal has not been finalized. However, Manchester City are still not giving up and will try until the last moment.

Looking at Alvarez, Arsenal are still patiently waiting. Over the past ten days, Arsenal have contacted Alvarez himself, his family, and his agent Fernando Hidalgo multiple times. Everything that could be done has been done, but the decision rests with the player. If Alvarez agrees to join before Tuesday night, Arsenal will immediately begin negotiations with Atlético Madrid, as I have mentioned many times before. The initiative for this transfer is entirely in the player's hands. As of today, Alvarez has not made a decision. Arsenal have made every effort and can only wait. The player still hopes to join Barcelona in the future and even hopes to do so this summer. However, there are still many variables between the player and the club, and Alvarez's situation is very complex."

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