Sridhar Bhamidi
This should be music for all of us. Having seen the pursuit of Eric Dier and Nemanja Matic hit frustrating roadblocks for different reasons, a report from the Mirror, of Marco Verratti’s £60m move gaining traction, is sweet to hear.
Verratti has long been a target for Barcelona and the Spanish giants tried everything they could, to sway his mind. Verratti too was reported to be interested although PSG played hardball and declined to accommodate any transfer.
However, the catch with the pursuit of the Italian international is that PSG want Anthony Martial as a part of the transfer (in your dreams PSG). But United are not willing to let the Frenchman leave Old Trafford.
Call it sheer luck but Verratti had to change agents and guess who becomes his new agent! Mino Raiola – the super-agent who is almost a household name in Manchester. Sir Alex Ferguson may be flinching but Raiola has his way with players and clubs. On our books are some of his high-profile players – Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
The deal for Lukaku may have been accomplished by Jose Mourinho’s persistence and Chelsea’s inept working. However, do not rule out the behind-the-scenes work by Raiola even if it looks a far-fetched theory now that the deal is done.
Now with another high-profile name in his roster, Raiola should be looking to take his client to all top spenders. Ed Woodward has shown that he is ready to splash the cash and the player too fits Mourinho’s style of play.
Can Raiola Drive This Transfer?
There are causes to expect this to go either way. Just like in the case of Pogba where Juventus were reluctant to sell, only to budge to the demands of the player and agent, Veratti too could find his path to Old Trafford laid out by Raiola.
Not always does Raiola find a way out for his players, as Gianluigi Donnarumma recently found out. The highly talented AC Milan ‘keeper flirted with the idea of leaving the club, stoked by Raiola, only to sign an extension and stay put. Of course, he was still the winner because of the increased contract that he received.
Raiola’s working style may not be old school but he knows how to broker deals. He relishes doing the undoable and pushing the unthinkable. I for one, will not be surprised if Veratti becomes a Red Devil this season!
