Matteo Moretto gives Football España exclusive information on the latest deals dominating the papers in Spain, as revealed in Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing.
Barcelona waiting for Nico Williams decision before moving for Dani Olmo
I think that Barcelona are waiting for the definitive answer from Nico Williams in order to then go after Dani Olmo. They want to close a deal for a differential player up front, and they are waiting to see what comes back from Williams, and to hear what has been on his mind in recent weeks.
He now needs to communicate his decision, because it is possible he has already made it, but he has not yet informed the clubs of his decision. Williams can stay in Bilbao with an improved contract, he has the chance to go to Barcelona, and there are also teams from abroad that are pushing for him, but as we have been saying here, my information is still that he would rather stay in Spain as things stand.
This week, I think we will have the definitive answer from Williams, and then Barcelona will be taking the decision of whether to go for Olmo or not.
No news on Kepa Arrizabalaga or Andriy Lunin situation
The truth is that there is no real update on either Kepa Arrizabalaga at Chelsea, or Andriy Lunin, and it’s still up in the air. There are enquiries from England for Lunin, and other teams from outside of England and Spain, but no team has yet presented an official offer to Real Madrid for him.
Real Madrid are confident that he will renew his contract, on the deal they agreed to months ago, but he continues to be non-responsive on that subject, so we shall see.
Obviously Kepa rejected the chance to go to Saudi Arabia, and he continues to wait for the opportunity to return to Real Madrid, hoping it will happen. It completely depends on what happens with Lunin though, so I don’t think Chelsea will have a resolution before Lunin does.
Race to the €20m finish line for bargain young talent in Spain
Currently, the team that are pushing hardest for Javi Guerra are Girona and the City Group, because they presented that offer of €20m, including variables. I think if Valencia were to receive an offer of €20m fixed, plus variables, if a team raises the fixed price and lowers the variable parts of the fee, then they might accept it.
For me it will be a fight between Girona and Real Sociedad. La Real are keeping a very close eye on him, they believe he is the ideal replacement for Mikel Merino. At the moment, the rumours that are coming out in Italy, about Milan, Roma or Napoli, don’t have legs. They are more offers to the clubs, as opposed to from the clubs, but in Spain with Girona and Real Sociedad, that’s where the real race is.
There are talks with Valencia, and I think whichever side gets to the €20m in fixed fees first will win it. It’s possible Real Sociedad move for Guerra before Merino leaves, so that they don’t miss out. That remains to be seen though, and has not been decided.
Matteo Moretto will be back with more transfer news in the coming days, providing exclusive information on the biggest stories in Spain and Italy.
