Fabrizio Romano says Man City think they’ve just pulled off a Real Madrid-type signing

Manchester City are close to completing their fifth signing of the summer transfer window. Pep Guardiola’s squad is undergoing a rebuild ahead of the 2025/26 campaign after the Premier League giants experienced an underwhelming season last time around, one which they finished without a trophy, and the legendary coach does not plan on going through that again. Another European giant, Real Madrid, are also adding to its squad ahead of the new campaign, with the La Liga giants presenting Trent Alexander-Arnold to the world on Thursday; however, it is another signing that could be huge for Los Blancos further down the line. Madrid are close to completing the signing of 17-year-old star Franco Mastantuono, and Fabrizio Romano has shared that he thinks Man City could be about to pull off a similar move. Photo by OLE MARTIN WOLD/NTB/AFP via Getty ImagesREAD MORE: Man City fans are all in agreement after the club’s latest announcement about £78m starMan City are closing in on Rosenborg’s Sverre NypanIt was reported on Thursday that Man City have agreed a transfer fee for Sverre Nypan, with the Manchester club set to pay Rosenborg a transfer fee of £12.5m (€14.6m). Speaking about the transfer of the 18-year-old star to England, Romano thinks it is similar to Real Madrid and Mastantuono, with the transfer expert believing it is a ‘massive one’ for Man City. “This is a massive one because let’s say Man City believe this could be the European [Franco] Mastantuono, in the sense of a top talent available on the market at a good price, in this case, a player they really like and wanted since January,” Romano said on his YouTube channel. “I remember in January, many people attacked me because I said City were in the race, and people said he was not going to City. No, guys, he’s going to City. And you can see he’s going to City.“Aston Villa tried to enter this race a few months ago, but because of financial fair play, to invest this money on a boy, while without Champions League football, they could invest this money in different players, is also what made the difference. “This is a big coup for Man City as Villa were keen on the youngster, while Arsenal and Martin Odegaard tried to lure Nypan to Arsenal. Nypan could have a big impact on Oscar Bobb going forward, but that will have to wait as City plan to send the 18-year-old out on loan for the 2025/26 campaign. READ MORE: ‘Talented’ Man City player told he never should’ve signed for Pep Guardiola, ‘it’s very sad’Sverre Nypan is not going on loan to GironaOnce it was announced that Nypan would leave Man City on loan, the expectation was that the Norwegian star would move to La Liga to play for Girona, who are part of the City Football Group. However, Romano has stated that the midfielder will not be moving to Spain, saying on his YouTube channel: “Nypan is going to Manchester City. He will go on loan immediately. My understanding, and one more detail I can give tonight, is that he’s not going to Girona.”Man City may feel that the 18-year-old is not ready for the level of La Liga and may be looking to find him a better fit, where he is guaranteed to get minutes.This is the most important thing for Nypan at this stage of his career, as he hopes to develop enough to be a big star at Manchester City in the future.