Fabrizio Romano Transfer News: Chelsea striker TRUTH, Man Utd SELL-ON, Liverpool BUY-BACK CLAUSE

Cameron Smith

• 5 Sept 2025 09:15 BST
• 6 min read

News

The 2025 summer transfer window is officially over for clubs in Europe’s top five leagues, but Fabrizio Romano has provided another update regarding Antony, Morten Hjulmand, Harvey Elliott and Conrad Harder.

Antony saga clarified

Antony finally left Manchester United on a permanent deal on Transfer Deadline Day, with Real Betis bringing him back to the club following a successful loan spell last season.

However, his saga wasn’t straightforward, as revealed by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

He told his YouTube channel: “Antony is one of the big names we had in the final days of the transfer window as he moved to Real Betis. But, in an interview Antony confirmed something that I can confirm to you: there was a call coming in the very final hours of the summer transfer window from Germany. And that call was from FC Bayern.

Current ETV

Antony

M, AM (R)

Real Betis

Antony

M, AM (R)

Real Betis

€41.3M

ETV Range

€37.2M - €45.5M

View full profile

“Bayern asked about the situation of Antony. Let's put it into context. Bayern were waiting to clarify the situation of Nicolas Jackson as the priority was always to sign Jackson.

“But, while the Jackson deal was on hold, Bayern called some other players to try to understand if there was a chance of a deal in case Chelsea really wanted to keep Jackson.

“They made a call for Antony to understand the situation with Betis. They were interested in the situation of Antony, but it was never a permanent transfer.

“The answer from the player was very clear. The focus for Antony was always to go back to Betis and to play on a regular basis as for Bayern he would’ve been just a back-up.

“He wants to play on a regular basis and he wants to feel like an important player as it's a World Cup season.”

Romano added: “The real transfer fee for Antony to Betis is €22 million guaranteed, plus €3m in add-ons and a 50% sell-on clause on the future profit.”

Morten Hjulmand to Man Utd truth

Man Utd were eager to sign a new central midfielder this summer, but the Red Devils were ultimately to finalise a deal, as confirmed by Romano.

“Morten Hjulmand was one of the names Man Utd had on their list and they had several meetings to understand the situation,” Romano said.

“The situation of Hjulmand was never easy, but Man Utd were informed over the summer. The player is well-known by Ruben Amorim and he has different skills compared to, for example, Carlos Baleba or Conor Gallagher.

“But, it was never advanced for one reason: after selling Viktor Gyokeres to Arsenal, Sporting didn’t want to sell any other crucial pieces of their squad. This is why it was not even possible for Man Utd to start a real negotiation.

“He was on the list of Juventus, Man Utd and several other clubs, but it was never really advanced because of that reason. For the future, let's see because he's still a player appreciated by Amorim.”

Liverpool buy-back clause

Transfer Deadline Day was immensely busy for Liverpool, with Harvey Elliott departing the club and Alexander Isak arriving for a Premier League record fee.

“I wanted to explain something regarding Liverpool that is similar to what they did with Jarell Quansah who went to Bayer Leverkusen with a buy-back clause worth over €60m,” Romano began.

“Harvey Elliott was sold to Aston Villa for £35m Deadline Day and also in this case Liverpool have included a buy-back clause so Liverpool can bring the player back in the future.

“They always wanted to maintain this kind of control - even when they were talking with Leipzig, they always mentioned a buy-back clause.

“Elliott was considered a priority by Liverpool director Richard Hughes, who wanted to keep control on the player and to keep monitoring this talent.

“Elliott wanted to play more and obviously at Liverpool there is not a lot of space, and this is why this was probably the best solution for all parties involved. Aston Villa are very happy with Elliott as he is considered as a really important player and perfect for what they wanted.

“They were trying to sign Lucas Paqueta but West Ham decided to take the player off the market and so Paqueta ended up staying. But for Villa, Elliott is very good business and Liverpool are also happy because they will have a buy-back clause.”

Conrad Harder to Chelsea?

Chelsea were eager to sign Sporting CP striker Conrad Harder on Deadline Day, however Romano has confirmed that he snubbed the chance to join Enzo Maresca’s side.

“It's true that Conrad Harder was an option for Chelsea, but he rejected this,” the football transfer news expert admitted.

“Harder had a special summer. He had the possibility to go to Milan, but the deal didn't happen for the player despite the fact Milan agreed the deal with Sporting.

“He had the possibility to go to Chelsea because Chelsea inquired about the situation. They never made any bid, but he was one of the options being considered before deciding to go for Marc Guiu as an ideal solution rather than spending money on another striker in the final days of the window.

“I can tell you that Chelsea were exploring this possibility of signing Harder, but the player never considered that option because he wants to play.

“He's young, he wants to develop and this was his mission. So the clear message coming from Harder’s camp was that he wanted to go to Leipzig because Benjamin Sekso, Lois Openda and Xavi Simons left, so there was space to play.

“This is why Harder is not at Chelsea and this is why Harder is at RB Leipzig, hoping to be the next big thing coming out of the Red Bull group.”

Football transfer news headlines today

EXCLUSIVE: Man Utd 'aggressively targeted' Antoine Semenyo and agreed terms

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OFFICIAL: Chelsea sent UEFA message over Garnacho BAN after transfer controversy

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