Manchester United are set to wrap up a deal for French centre-back Leny Yoro and make a major statement to the rest of Europe.
Beating Real Madrid to the transfer of Leny Yoro is a big deal for Manchester United, with the reigning Champions League winners used to signing whoever they want.
United were able to convince Leny Yoro to choose the Red Devils, with a little help from Lille president Olivier Letang.
Yoro has now completed his move to Manchester United and replace Raphael Varane, who left the club upon his contract expiring at the end of June.
Manchester United missed Raphael Varane in 2011
For Manchester United, there is a welcome contrast with the Leny Yoro deal and the club’s attempts to first sign Raphael Varane.
While United eventually signed the Frenchman in 2021, this was 10 years after the club first tried to bring Varane to Old Trafford.
Sir Alex Ferguson pushed hard to sign Varane, only to see Real Madrid hijack the deal.
Ferguson wrote in his autobiography, “In 2011, I hurtled down on the train from Euston to Lille to sign the young French defender Raphael Varane.
“David Gill was getting into the finer points of the contract with Lens, Varane’s club, when Zinedine Zidane got wind of this and somehow scooped him up for Real Madrid from under our noses.”
Varane was a huge success at Real Madrid, where he played 360 games and won four Champions League trophies.
When Manchester United signed Varane in 2021, there were fears he was past his best. The results were mixed.
He was still a top performer, as he demonstrated right to the end with his performance in the FA Cup Final, but by this point the club were paying an excessive wage, while injuries meant Varane only started 16 Premier League games last season.
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Now United are signing Leny Yoro at the right time
Raphael Varane was just 18 when he signed with Real Madrid from Lens. New Manchester United signing Leny Yoro is the same age.
Real Madrid hoped to land the ‘new Varane’ with a deal for Yoro, now they have given up on landing the wonderkid.
United beating Real to Yoro is a fantastic role reversal, and a real coup for Ineos, to hopefully set the Red Devils on the right path for the next decade.
This is a belated revenge for Sir Alex Ferguson, who regretted missing out on Varane.
We may even let Real have him in 10 years time…