{"id":19088,"date":"2026-07-20T07:35:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T07:35:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=19088"},"modified":"2026-07-20T07:35:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T07:35:05","slug":"fabrizio-romano-morgan-rogers-yan-diomande-manu-kone-rodri","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=19088","title":{"rendered":"Fabrizio Romano: Morgan Rogers, Yan Diomande, Manu Kone, Rodri"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>                                            Updated: 20 Jul 2026 08:25 BST                                                                                            <span class=\"article-publish-date__separator\">|<\/span><br \/>\n                                                6 min read                                                                                    <\/p>\n<figure class=\"large-img\">\n                                                <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/ae464d58-af28-470d-df3a-c38cc7f40f00\/w=1200,h=675,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/ae464d58-af28-470d-df3a-c38cc7f40f00\/w=640,h=360,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-image-size=\"retina\" class=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" alt=\"Fabrizio Romano, Morgan Rogers, Yan Diomande\" src=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/ae464d58-af28-470d-df3a-c38cc7f40f00\/w=1200,h=675,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto,q=95\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption><figcaption>\u00a9 IMAGO <\/figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"author\">\n<figure class=\"author-thumb\">\n                                                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-image-size=\"not_specified\" class=\"\" width=\"112\" height=\"112\" alt=\"Robin Bairner\" src=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/footballcritic\/kztnrlsgh85ogtiqtjxb\/w=112,h=112,quality=75,fit=cover,format=auto\"\/>                                                    <\/figure>\n<div class=\"article-author-info\">\n<div class=\"article-author-name\">\n<p>                                                        Robin Bairner<br \/>\n                                                                                                                    <span class=\"article-author-separator\">|<\/span><br \/>\n                                                            <span>Chief Editor<\/span>\n                                                                                                            <\/div>\n<p class=\"article-author-desc\">\n<p>                                                        Accredited football journalist and editor covering the game since 2006                                                    <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>                                        <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"google-favorite-cta__icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 48 48\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path fill=\"#EA4335\" d=\"M24 9.5c3.54 0 6.71 1.22 9.21 3.6l6.85-6.85C35.9 2.38 30.47 0 24 0 14.62 0 6.51 5.38 2.56 13.22l7.98 6.19C12.43 13.72 17.74 9.5 24 9.5z\"\/><path fill=\"#4285F4\" d=\"M46.98 24.55c0-1.57-.15-3.09-.38-4.55H24v9.02h12.94c-.58 2.96-2.26 5.48-4.78 7.18l7.73 6c4.51-4.18 7.09-10.36 7.09-17.65z\"\/><path fill=\"#FBBC05\" d=\"M10.53 28.59c-.48-1.45-.76-2.99-.76-4.59s.27-3.14.76-4.59l-7.98-6.19C.92 16.46 0 20.12 0 24c0 3.88.92 7.54 2.56 10.78l7.97-6.19z\"\/><path fill=\"#34A853\" d=\"M24 48c6.48 0 11.93-2.13 15.89-5.81l-7.73-6c-2.18 1.48-4.97 2.31-8.16 2.31-6.26 0-11.57-4.22-13.47-9.91l-7.98 6.19C6.51 42.62 14.62 48 24 48z\"\/><path fill=\"none\" d=\"M0 0h48v48H0z\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"google-favorite-cta__text\">Make us your Google favourite<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has provided the latest updates from the summer transfer window, including Chelsea&#8217;s imminent signing of Morgan Rogers, Manchester United&#8217;s midfield plans, Paris Saint-Germain&#8217;s pursuit of Yan Diomande, Rodri&#8217;s future at Manchester City and Tottenham&#8217;s stance on Cristian Romero.<\/p>\n<p><center class=\"p-1 light-grey-bg\">Article continues under the video<\/center> <\/p>\n<h2>Morgan Rogers set to become Chelsea player as Arsenal miss out<\/h2>\n<p>Romano confirmed Chelsea are on the verge of completing one of the biggest deals of the summer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe next 24 hours are going to be the 24 hours of Morgan Rogers as a new Chelsea player,\u201d the transfer insider proclaimed on YouTube.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe deal is completed and will be signed on Monday, but everything is done. Chelsea and Aston Villa have already started exchanging all the documents.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fee is \u00a3117 million with no add-ons. It&#8217;s a guaranteed fee and it&#8217;s 100% confirmed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAston Villa believe it&#8217;s excellent business, while Chelsea believe they have added a fantastic player to the squad.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMorgan Rogers will sign a six-year contract with the option of a further season.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor Arsenal, it&#8217;s a big surprise because they now have to react on the market. Mikel Arteta had direct conversations with Morgan Rogers over the last few months and the player was a serious target.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut Arsenal were always hoping to negotiate the price with Aston Villa.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can guarantee Arsenal&#8217;s intention was to bid around \u00a390m, maybe a maximum of \u00a3100m, but never \u00a3117m.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChelsea decided to go all in immediately and the only way to avoid an Arsenal counter-hijack was to complete the deal within 24 hours, and that&#8217;s exactly what they did.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-md-12 p-0 d-flex image-container\">\n<figure class=\"article-image\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/154a7f7e-ddd2-4571-2fe7-3f32eeeed700\/w=1200,h=674,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/154a7f7e-ddd2-4571-2fe7-3f32eeeed700\/w=640,h=359,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-image-size=\"retina\" class=\"lazyload\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Morgan Rogers in England action\" src=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/154a7f7e-ddd2-4571-2fe7-3f32eeeed700\/w=750,h=422,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto,q=95\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption>\u00a9 IMAGO &#8211; Morgan Rogers in England action<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2>PSG remain favourites for Yan Diomande despite Arsenal interest<\/h2>\n<p>Romano says Paris Saint-Germain still lead the race for Yan Diomande, although they must now reach an agreement with RB Leipzig.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKeep a close eye on Yan Diomande. Paris Saint-Germain already have a verbal agreement on contract terms with the player. But they still don&#8217;t have an agreement with RB Leipzig,\u201d Romano said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe relationship between the clubs is very good after the Xavi Simons deal and other business together, but they still need to find a financial agreement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes you can have an agreement with the player but not with the club. It&#8217;s happened with Arsenal and Morgan Rogers. Personal terms were never the problem, but Chelsea arrived and completed the deal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith Diomande, PSG have had an agreement with the player for three or four weeks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow it&#8217;s on Paris Saint-Germain to complete the agreement with Leipzig.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey remain the clear favourites, but I&#8217;m told more clubs are calling every day to see whether they can enter the race.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cArsenal have done that in recent days and there are other clubs making enquiries behind the scenes. So now it&#8217;s up to PSG to finish the job.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Manchester United assessing defensive midfield options after Ederson collapse<\/h2>\n<p>Romano reiterated that Manchester United&#8217;s pursuit of Ederson is over while explaining the club&#8217;s plans to sign another midfielder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFinally, the fake story about Ederson is over,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it&#8217;s been quite embarrassing because many people kept denying the deal was finished and saying Manchester United could revisit it later in the summer.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I told you Ederson was returning to Atalanta and that&#8217;s exactly what happened.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The deal completely collapsed and now Ederson has signed a new contract with Atalanta.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Manchester United will not contact Atalanta again or revisit the deal in any way.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-md-12 p-0 d-flex image-container\">\n<figure class=\"article-image\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/f7b1e4b2-f3b0-4449-4510-dfbadc505100\/w=1200,h=674,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/f7b1e4b2-f3b0-4449-4510-dfbadc505100\/w=640,h=359,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-image-size=\"retina\" class=\"lazyload\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Ederson: Man Utd move off\" src=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/f7b1e4b2-f3b0-4449-4510-dfbadc505100\/w=750,h=422,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto,q=95\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption>\u00a9 IMAGO &#8211; Ederson: Man Utd move off<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;On the midfield situation, I can confirm the appreciation for Manu Kone. There have been contacts with the player&#8217;s agents but no bid to Roma and no club-to-club talks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cManchester United are assessing different options. They are very happy with the signings of Andre Santos and Youri Tielemans and believe they have signed two top players for a combined fee of \u00a385m. Now they want to choose the right third midfielder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey&#8217;re looking for someone defensive, physical, someone who can break the lines. Manu Kone is one option, but he is not the only one.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Manchester City still waiting on Rodri contract decision<\/h2>\n<p>Romano also provided the latest on Rodri, insisting Real Madrid are not currently moving for the World Cup winner.<\/p>\n<p>He said of the Spaniard: \u201cRodri has been fantastic at the World Cup. The real Rodri, Ballon d&#8217;Or-level Rodri, is finally back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe also have to understand why. He had several injuries, so it wasn&#8217;t about his level dropping. Now he&#8217;s fit and we&#8217;re seeing the real Rodri again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cManchester City&#8217;s contract offer remains on the table. They made that proposal back in April.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is still no agreement, but once Rodri returns after the World Cup they will speak again.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-md-12 p-0 d-flex image-container\">\n<figure class=\"article-image\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/bcbaeb6d-5a11-4ca9-c25c-a57e644c5b00\/w=1200,h=674,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/bcbaeb6d-5a11-4ca9-c25c-a57e644c5b00\/w=640,h=359,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-image-size=\"retina\" class=\"lazyload\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Rodri, Spain\" src=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/bcbaeb6d-5a11-4ca9-c25c-a57e644c5b00\/w=750,h=422,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto,q=95\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption>\u00a9 IMAGO &#8211; Rodri, Spain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cManchester City hope to reach an agreement. Many of you ask if Real Madrid still have a chance. As of today, what I&#8217;m hearing is there is no green light from Florentino Perez or the Real Madrid management to proceed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the moment, that track remains quite cold. Of course things can change in football.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBernardo Silva is an example. Real Madrid weren&#8217;t convinced at first, then Jose Mourinho arrived and wanted him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut today the Rodri situation with Real Madrid is cold, while Manchester City continue pushing for a new contract.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Cristian Romero expected to leave Tottenham after World Cup<\/h2>\n<p>Romano believes the Argentina defender remains on course to leave Spurs this summer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCristian Romero is a World Cup finalist with Argentina and after the tournament it&#8217;s going to be time for new conversations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe plan remains for Romero to leave Tottenham. Inter are interested. Barcelona are also interested if they sell one of their defenders. So these are two clubs to watch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe&#8217;ll see whether more clubs join the race, but Romero is fully expected to leave Tottenham this summer.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Jurgen Klopp to Germany and latest on Crysencio Summerville<\/h2>\n<p>Romano concluded with updates on Jurgen Klopp&#8217;s expected appointment as Germany manager and Manchester United&#8217;s stance on Crysencio Summerville.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;ve been telling you this story for weeks and next week it will become official,\u201d he said. \u201cJurgen Klopp is set to become the new Germany head coach. The deal is completed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s a four-year contract covering the Nations League, the Euros and the 2030 World Cup. It&#8217;s &#8216;here we go&#8217; and has been confirmed for weeks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust one final note on Crysencio Summerville.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRoma have sent a bid and Aston Villa are also calling.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cManchester United haven&#8217;t moved because Summerville is only an option if Marcus Rashford leaves.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the moment that hasn&#8217;t happened, which is why Manchester United are not advancing for Summerville.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Related stories:<\/h2>\n<p><b class=\"arrowed\">Arsenal stance on Bruno Guimaraes becomes clear after Morgan Rogers hijack<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b class=\"arrowed\">Chelsea have signed a &#8216;superstar,&#8217; says Jude Bellingham<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b class=\"arrowed\">Premier League summer transfers 2026: All the Done Deals<\/b><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-footer-author\">\n<div class=\"article-footer-author__header\">\n                            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"article-footer-author__thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/footballcritic\/kztnrlsgh85ogtiqtjxb\/w=112,h=112,quality=75,fit=cover,format=auto\" alt=\"Robin Bairner\" width=\"110\" height=\"110\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"article-footer-author__bio\">\n<p>                Robin Bairner is an eminent digital football journalist who has been writing about the sport for major global publishers since 2006, specialising in Ligue 1 and Scottish football. He has been chief editor of the FootballTransfers global edition since its launch in 2020. Previously Bairner had been a key member of the editorial team which helped Goal.com become the world\u2019s biggest football website. He covered multiple major competitions as a correspondent for Goal including the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, <a title=\"work in Fortaleza\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/rbairner\/status\/483004817334603776\" target=\"_blank\">where he had the opportunity to work in Fortaleza<\/a>. Among his highlights of the competition was Brazil\u2019s quarter-final victory over Colombia.&#13;            <\/p>\n<p>            View full bio\n    <\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Updated: 20 Jul 2026 08:25 BST | 6 min read \u00a9 IMAGO Robin Bairner |&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19088"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19088\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}