Raphael Varane has officially signed for Serie A club Como following his exit from Manchester United this summer.
The 2018 World Cup winner left Old Trafford as a free agent on June 30 after the Red Devils opted not to trigger an extension on his contract.
Varane’s departure is one of several significant changes at Manchester United this summer, with co-owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS revamping the club’s staff structure and bringing in new stars Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee for a combined £88.5million so far.
The Frenchman arrives in Como just a week after former Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona great Cesc Fabregas was announced as the club’s new manager following their promotion back to the Italian top-flight last campaign.
After more than two decades outside Serie A, Como won promotion by sealing an automatic place on the final day of the a season.
Raphael Varane has officially signed for Serie A club Como following his exit from Man United
Cesc Fabregas was confirmed as Como’s new manager after the club’s promotion to Serie A
Upon signing for his new club, Varane said: ‘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.’
Varane celebrates winning the FA Cup with United before leaving as a free agent a month later
Dennis Wise fired a parting shot at Como after confirming his exit as chief executive last week
Como, like United, are undergoing significant change this summer, with Dennis Wise stepping down as the club’s chief executive after five years.
Wise fired a parting shot at the club with a pointed statement upon his departure, revealing that Como had ‘decided to follow Fabregas’ direction’.
