Updated: 29 May 2026 17:57 BST |
7 min read
Fabrizio Romano has provided updates on the transfer saga surrounding Julian Alvarez, Ibrahima Konate’s Liverpool contract as well as another battle with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid over Bernardo Silva.
Tottenham secure double signing
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano confirmed that Marcos Senesi and Andrew Robertson would become Tottenham’s first signings of the summer transfer window.
“Marcos Senesi will be a new Tottenham Hotspur player – ‘here we go’ confirmed,” Romano said. “Tottenham have already delivered two signings. A hijack was attempted for Andy Robertson, but Robertson decided to go to Tottenham—it’s done.
“And then Senesi, a defender wanted by several clubs, is going to join Tottenham Hotspur. The agreement is closed from what I understand.
“It is a four-year contract that could include an option for an extra season, so everything is done between Senesi and Spurs.
“He had possibilities in Italy, he had possibilities in Spain, and he had several options on the market. But he decided to continue in the Premier League—continue in the best league in the world, according to Marcos Senesi. That’s how he sees English football, and now he is ready to sign for Tottenham.”
Konate set to leave Liverpool
Romano also confirmed reports that Ibrahima Konate will leave Liverpool on a free transfer after talks broke down over a new contract due to a disagreement over bonuses.
“At the moment, Konaté has still not decided on what’s going to be his future but there is one guarantee today – for Ibrahima Konaté and Liverpool, the story is over. The deal is off,” Romano said. “Konaté is going to leave Liverpool on a free transfer this summer.
“That’s a big story because, back in April, the agreement between Konaté and Liverpool was very close. Only two things were missing. The length of the contract was okay, and the salary was okay. The issues were linked to the bonuses in his contract.
“When you negotiate important contracts with important players, you can include a bonus if you win the Premier League, a bonus if you win the Champions League, and all this sort of stuff. Then, it was also about how to activate some of the normal bonuses.
“The extra bonuses were about winning trophies, and the other regular bonuses were about the number of appearances or those sorts of things—what they call ‘easy’ or ‘difficult’ bonuses.
“The agreement on these two points was never reached. Ibrahima was very confident; he even went to the press in April and said, ‘We are close to signing a new contract.’ When a player goes public like this, you know the agreement is almost done. And that was the case because, again, the salary structure and the length of the contract were ready, but then suddenly the deal went off.
“There was no agreement on these final details. They took weeks and weeks negotiating, and now the deal has collapsed. So, Ibrahima Konaté leaves Liverpool after five years at the club.
“Let’s see where he goes because there was strong interest from Real Madrid until a few months ago. Then, Real Madrid decided not to go for Konaté around January or February because they wanted to respect Liverpool and didn’t want to break their relationship with the club.
“Real Madrid informed Liverpool they were not going to do another free transfer deal from Liverpool after Trent Alexander-Arnold in 2025—that was the message. But now Ibrahima Konaté is free, so we have to see if Real Madrid decide to return for him or not. There are other clubs interested in Ibrahima Konaté, and now he will start exploring the market. For sure, it’s a really interesting situation to follow.”
Mourinho to Real Madrid latest
Jose Mourinho’s appointment as Real Madrid’s new manager is ‘done’ and agreed, according to Romano, with the announcement set to come after the Spanish side’s election process.
Romano said: “I can tell you guys that my understanding is that José Mourinho to Real Madrid is a deal ready and done. Everything is agreed between Mourinho and Real Madrid on the contract.
“It is a three-year deal. Real Madrid and Benfica share a fantastic relationship, so everything is okay between Real Madrid and Benfica apart from the release clause. Everything is already agreed between the clubs.
“What is missing is the election process. As soon as the election process is over, Florentino Pérez will activate all the formal steps and will announce José Mourinho as the new coach of Real Madrid.”
Atletico Madrid frustrated at Alvarez to Barcelona saga
Romano confirmed Barcelona had submitted a €100m bid for Julian Alvarez but Atletico Madrid have grown frustrated over the situation and have no plans to sell their star man at that price.
“Yesterday, I told you Barcelona were preparing their first official bid for Julián Álvarez,” Romano said. “Well, the bid is on the table. The official bid from Barcelona is worth €100 million. No bonuses, no players included – €100 million. This is what Barcelona are offering for Julián.
“Barça have started the official conversation. It is involving intermediaries; the player’s agent is also into it. Intermediaries are heavily involved, so Barcelona are working hard on this one.
“Atlético Madrid, on their side, are very annoyed and not happy at all with Barcelona’s behavior in going all-in and having this story become so public in the media. The relationship between the two clubs is quite tense, which is why there are intermediaries taking care of the deal.
“The internal information from Atlético Madrid is that they are not going to accept €100 million. They are not closing the deal for €100 million, so eventually, an extra effort will be needed from Barcelona. That is the situation as of today. The player has indicated to Atlético Madrid that he wants to leave, but for Atleti, €100 million is not going to be enough to close the Julián Álvarez deal. Eventually, it has to be more.”
Bernardo Silva future
The understanding on Bernardo Silva is that Bernardo has two proposals available now for him. It is not yet time for official club proposals; it is all verbal conversations with his agent, Jorge Mendes.
“Barcelona and Atlético Madrid are both in this whole story. Atlético want Bernardo Silva; they have already spoken to the agent of the player trying to reach an agreement. Barcelona are also into this – they are talking with Jorge Mendes and negotiating for Bernardo Silva.
“In terms of salary, Bernardo has always asked for around €12 million net, which is what he is earning at Manchester City. But eventually, for the right club, he could reduce his salary demands in order to make the best decision possible.
“There are really important proposals from several countries, but my understanding today is that Bernardo Silva prefers Spain. Bernardo Silva wants to go to Spain. He will not go to Italy because Juventus were interested, but they are not in the Champions League, and Bernardo wants to play Champions League football.
“So now, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid are both in negotiations with Jorge Mendes for Bernardo Silva. Remember, Bernardo is a free agent, so no club-to-club negotiation is needed. It is Bernardo who has to decide, and the two clubs are on it.”
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