Manchester United transfer talk continues today with a new wrinkle in the Raphael Varane narrative. Plus United hold on to Bendito Mantato, a wonderkid Academy player who was wanted by several clubs.
Let’s begin there, with this tweet from Fabrizio Romano:
?? 16 year old winger Bendito Mantato on the verge of signing new scolarship and pre-pro contract Manchester United.
Deal nearly done, final details being sorted then all sealed and signed.
Mantato stays at #MUFC despite many proposals. pic.twitter.com/BlSKcNrNay
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 1, 2024
It’s too bad Mantato isn’t old enough, and ready right now to play, because obviously, United have a hole to fill at that position. The teenager has drawn comparisons to Bukayo Saka.
But we don’t know much else about this kid. That’s ok, because you know who does?
United in Focus, and you can get up to speed with their informative post here.
Moving on to Varane, he’s visited Como, a club newly promoted to Serie A, but it the deal isn’t done yet. Como are the front-runners, bnut according Sky Sports, AS Roma are interested as well.
While Roma publicly deny it, they are actually still in the running for the French central defender.
We’ll see which Italian club signs the former Real Madrid defender.
Although he had also been linked to Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami. Roma Press has more.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.