Fabrizio Romano on Real Madrid’s next “very shocking” Galáctico move: Here we go!
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano spoke exclusively to Sofascore for their ‘A Guest and a Half’ YouTube show.
The phrase ’Here We Go’ has become more than a catchphrase for Fabrizio Romano, it’s a certified stamp of approval for fans to breathe a sigh of relief and look to the sky in joy as their club brings in a new player.
Romano has transformed himself into the source to go to for dealings between clubs. Having built up a social media following of millions, the Italian is waiting anxiously for the upcoming window but knows full well that he has work to do all year, even on holiday: “I don’t call it ‘vacations’”, he says, describing his time away, “I call it working from nice places.”
Speaking to Sofascore‘s Milan Stjelja for their ‘A Guest and a Half’ podcast, Romano said during the summer that “any minute can be important” and “you can’t relax”.
Real Madrid ready to make next Galáctico signing
Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid “is going to be the first big signing of the next transfer window”, says Romano, with just “the formal steps” left. “I think it’s going to happen. You have to sign the contracts but it’s very advanced. For it not to happen would be very shocking, you nearly never see something like that. Real Madrid are very confident.”
“There could be big moves, I expect a busy summer.”
Timing the news in the correct way “is the most difficult part of my job”, he says, adding “now I know many people, and you don’t want to hurt them and create a problem.”
His biggest blunder, he admits, was Cole Palmer. “I remember when Chelsea were looking for an attacker. The media had 50 names, but nobody could find the name- Then I got a call in the middle of the night, at 3am, to say it was Cole Palmer, but the person said not to tell anyone until morning. It was impossible for me to sleep, and when I shared the story, this feeling was unbelievable, but it was tough for me to keep the news for 9 or 10 hours.”
‘What I can’t do is sign contracts for clubs and players’
Romano opened up on Messi’s move to Miami, and how he left Barcelona: “Messi was in the Barcelona headquarters to sign the new contract. Everything was ready for him to stay. And then, bam, everything collapsed: financial problems, LaLiga couldn’t make it happen. Nobody saw it coming. At all. Messi’s side too.
I also announced that he was staying; I will always tell you the truth as soon as it happens, but what I can’t do is sign contracts for clubs and players.”
Speaking about ethical integrity took up a large portion of the interview, and it is a key quality to succeed for Romano. Accusations are fired at him from keyboard warriors that the transfer guru takes money from those in football to push messages, something he vehemently denies. “Bring me the proof and I’ll close my account. No problem, here I am, no problem. They attack you and I defend myself. Everything I do is my own face and my own responsibility. People can find me, everything is transparent."
“Humble” Messi should not be compared with Cristiano
On his interview with Messi, Romano described it as ‘completing his career’. “I had the feeling of someone normal, in a positive sense, he’s really kind with the people behind the scenes, super nice. I was not nervous, I was really excited. I was thinking I’ll one day tell my family this and I’ll remember it until I die."
“Humble” was the word he used to describe Messi. “I try to be like this. The approach was what surprised me, he was not in a rush [to finish].”
On Cristiano and the famous battles between the two, Romano said that he “is not a big fan of comparisons, just enjoy them. When they retire, we’ll say we spent too much time asking ‘who is better, who is worse’. Why should people get angry about this? It’s like two beautiful pieces of art, enjoy them, not the negatives.”
🚨⚪️ Real Madrid are monitoring Trent Alexander-Arnold's contract situation at Liverpool.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 22, 2024
Current deal expires in June '25 with no talks underway as of now.
Liverpool have not indicated any desire to sell at this stage.
There's no indication of player's views so far. pic.twitter.com/2rCywx2yjH
Real Madrid turn to Klopp
The story of Mauro Icardi is the story that set Romano off: “It was my first news, it’s probably the one I love the most. A guy got my number and said if I could do something about the young players, Icardi, Deulofeu. He gave me my first information: Mauro to Sampdoria on a free transfer. When he went to Inter I got the information from the same person, and he’s already agreed. I shared the story, I had nothing to lose, and that was the beginning.”
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