VINICIUS JR TO SAUDI ARABIA FOR 1 BILLION 😱 - BARCELONA TURNED DOWN NICO AND WANT TO SIGN NEW STARS
Moving on to the main news of the release!
Zubimendi rejects Liverpool!
Relevo
Reliability: 4.5
Real Sociedad defensive midfielder Martin Zubimendi has rejected Liverpool's proposal. It is noted that he decided to stay with his current team. Earlier on, he was reportedly willing to give the green light to the move, and the Reds were confident that this deal would be successful. Besides, there was also a report about Real Sociedad allowing the English side to hold talks with the footballer, while he had previously agreed to the transfer. Before that, Martin also refused to join Bayern Munich and Arsenal, writes insider Fabrizio Romano.
Merino's transfer to Arsenal collapses too?
Beñat Barreto
Reliability: 4
Arsenal are not meeting Real Sociedad's demands for Mikel Merino's move. The midfielder has a contract extension offer from the White and Blues. Basically, the Gunners cannot offer the €35 million demanded by La Real, which was previously offered by Atletico Madrid. The North London team doubts the said price tag since they will not be able to earn back this money in the future. They still have not made any official offer for Merino yet.
Matthijs de Ligt and Mazraoui to become Man Utd players today
Fabrizio Romano
Reliability: 5
Bayern Munich defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui have successfully passed their medicals at Manchester United's Carrington training facility. The contracts between the parties will be inked in Manchester with the footballers' agent Rafaela Pimenta. The necessary documents have to be ready within 24 hours, so both newcomers will be able to face Fulham in the Premier League matchday 1 on August 16. Previously, it was announced that Bayern would receive €45+5 million for de Ligt and €15+5 million for Mazraoui. If the transfer gets completed, then Manchester United will become the third club for which the said performers will play alongside each other. They made 116 appearances as part of the same team at Ajax and Bayern.
Napoli submit offer for Chelsea's Lukaku
Di Marzio
Reliability: 4
Napoli have submitted an official offer to Chelsea regarding the transfer of 31-year-old Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku. The Parthenopeans are offering €25 million plus another €5 million in bonuses. The Italian club intends to seal the deal before they part ways with Victor Osimhen. It is also indicated that Chelsea are unlikely to accept their offer, as they value the player at €43 million, but in this case, the attacker may remain in the squad, which would be a problem for the club.
Atlético Madrid announce Álvarez's move
Officially
Striker Julian Álvarez has officially switched from Manchester City to Atletico Madrid. The player penned a 6-year contract with the Indians. Insider Fabrizio Romano informed that the Sky Blues will be paid €75+20 million for Álvarez. Julian has been representing Man City since the summer of 2022, having been recruited from River Plate for €21.4 million. Last season, he netted 19 goals and provided 13 assists in 54 appearances.
No Nico for Barça. The Catalans are looking for other stars
Onze; Fabrizio Romano
Reliability: 4.5
Nico will not play for Barcelona. It's over. There were a lot of such insights yesterday and it seems to be the case. Williams Jr. is now the new "ten" of Athletic Bilbao and he still decided to stay for one more season. There is also a story circulating on the X platform, in which Laporta claimed that Nico is not a necessity and that Barça already have a pretty good squad. Alternatives for Nico could be Rafael Leao, Kingsley Coman, and Luis Diaz - the latter two are considered the favorites - the Bayern Munich winger can be taken on loan with an option to buy, whereas the Liverpool winger will cost the Blaugrana €58 million.
Vinicius rejects €1 billion offer!
Gerard Romero
Reliability: 4,5
Vinicius Jr turned down an offer to move to the Saudi Pro League, namely to Al Ahli. The Real Madrid star was promised €1 billion during a 5-year contract. In other words, the forward would have earned €200 million per year, the same amount of money Cristiano Ronaldo earns. This piece of news was spread by the Brazilian edition of O Globo. At the same time, it is stated that the 24-year-old Brazilian actually rejected the billion-dollar offer, yet Al Ahli will continue to tempt Los Blancos leader. Among other things, this deal could set a record in football history, as Vini is currently the most expensive performer in the world (€180 million), with his release clause at Real Madrid being worth €1 billion, the same sum the Saudis are offering for his signature. Interestingly enough, the arrival of a player of such caliber would mean another major image-building step for the Saudi Investment Fund ahead of the 2034 World Cup, which is likely to be hosted by their country.
