When the big clubs see something they like, they don’t hang about. Raphaël Varane was just a sparkle in the eye of Lens fans when Real Madrid signed the then 18-year-old for €10m back in 2011, right under the noses of Manchester United.
“I hurtled down on the train from Euston to Lille to sign the young French defender Varane,” Sir Alex Ferguson wrote in his 2015 book Leading. “David Gill [the club’s then CEO] was getting into the finer points of the contract with Lens when Zinedine Zidane got wind of this and somehow scooped him up for Real Madrid from under our noses.”
Varane went on to win four Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles, becoming one of the best defenders in Europe with his searing pace, intelligence and sky-high confidence. United finally got their man, of course, just when those qualities appear to be in decline.
All of this is a long way of saying there’s a new French teenager on the block, Lille’s Leny Yoro, and Real Madrid are one of a few superclubs in for him. Liverpool will be hoping they are not the stooges of Manchester United in this scenario, as will PSG, who all hope to win the signature of the 18-year-old. Yoro will have just 12 months remaining on his contract in the summer, but if Lille do sell, they will certainly get more than the €10m Lens got for Varane.
Arsenal, Newcastle and Chelsea, meanwhile, are also keen to strengthen in defence but they are more interested in Sporting’s Ousmane Diomande. The English sides have sent scouts to the Africa Cup of Nations, where the 20-year-old is currently featuring for Ivory Coast, and started the hosts’ opening win over Guinea-Bissau. Sporting are famously tough negotiators, so it may be a case of whoever can match their asking price: a (reported) whopping £70m.
Strikers from the Eredivisie have always been hit and miss in the Premier League. Robin van Persie, Luis Suárez and Ruud van Nistelrooy were quite good. Alfonso Alves, Jürgen Locadia and Vincent Janssen? Not so much. Feyenoord’s Santiago Giménez is the latest hot shot to be turning heads, having scored 30 goals last season and 21 already this campaign. West Ham and Fulham are very keen on the Mexican, although London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham are keeping a beady eye on things.
Caoimhin Kelleher is a very, very good goalkeeper but is watching his career disappear at Liverpool, with Alisson continuing to be the Premier League’s best stopper and the club’s undisputed No 1. Now 24, the Irishman has been told he can leave for just £20m, which seems like a very reasonable price to the Mill.
Elsewhere, Sergio Reguilón could make a loan move to Brentford, with the Tottenham defender back from his spell at Manchester United and Rico Henry still sidelined with a knee injury. Southampton are keen to bolster their promotion push with signings of Bournemouth’s Joe Rothwell and Manchester United’s Amad Diallo, while Napoli want Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah.
