Como have officially announced the signing of World Cup winning centre-back Raphaël Varane on a two-year contract. The veteran centre-back had been in talks with the newly promoted Serie A side for several weeks, having reached an agreement 0n a contract last week.
A statement on the club’s official website confirmed the news:
Como 1907 is thrilled to announce the signing of French defender Raphaël Varane from Manchester United on a two year deal with an option to extend. Regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation, Varane won three La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies during his time at Real Madrid.
The 2018 World Cup winner also helped Manchester United to win their first major trophies in six years, lifting the 2023 Carabao Cup and then the 2024 FA Cup at Wembley Stadium.
On bringing the French international to the club, Cesc Fàbregas, head coach of Como 1907, said: “Raphaël is a special player and his signing is proof of the ambition we have for this club. He is highly decorated and the experience he brings in two of the best leagues in the world can not be underestimated. I can’t wait to start working with him.”
The ownership group continued: “We are excited to have Raphael in our family. His experience will greatly complement our ambitions to grow on and off the field.”
On the signing, Raphaël commented: ”I’m very happy and excited about this new project, and I can’t wait to get started and meet up with the team and my team-mates. There’s also the physical preparation for the season to look forward to.
“At first, I was curious to find out what the project was all about, and then I immediately saw that it was special, different from any other I’d been offered, so I wanted to know more. The more I learned about the project, the more interesting it became, giving me a different perspective on what I wanted to do. Once the project came along, it went straight to the top of the list, and we managed to close the deal. I’m very happy. There’s a lot to do, and it’s very exciting. I have a lot of experience at the highest level, and now to be able to share that knowledge and help a club build itself up and hopefully reach the top is super exciting.
“I’m meeting Cesc again, but not as an opponent this time. I’m very happy, I really like his philosophy of play and his passion for football. When we spoke it was so easy to understand each other, so I hope we’ll have very positive results. In any case, I’m coming with a great deal of humility to help the team and the club grow.”
