If you’ve watched football and kept up with transfers for any long period of time, you’ll know how Real Madrid operate, transfer-wise. They aren’t the type of the club to get into bidding wars and other immature nonsense. Real Madrid are a brand, The type of club that, instead of acquiring players from the simple task of outspending competitors, woo their players to their club, as if they’re their target’s crush, standing in the corner, sending small messages to them, rather than starting a conversation with them, knowing that their target’s eyes are really on them, rather than anyone else that comes up and actually tries to start a conversation.
This method of acquisition is quite effective. In recent years, there’s rarely been a club to beat Los Blancos to a signing. Despite plenty of interest worldwide and many offers for more money, Kylian Mbappe only had his eyes set on that club after Florentino Perez showed his first few signs to the Frenchman at an early age, catching Mbappe’s interest and making sure that he was only thinking about Madrid once it came time to move clubs. This method has been used to sign pretty much every other major target Madrid have signed, such as Jude Bellingham, Antonio Rudiger, Vinicius Jr, Aurelien Tchouameni, Endrick, et cetera.
The Premier League is one of the leagues which has suffered the most at the ever-wandering eyes of Florentino Perez. In the summers of 2022 and 2023 for instance, the president lured both Aurelien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham away from the hands of Liverpool, despite already having Fede Valverde, Toni Kroos, Eduardo Camavinga, and at the time of Tchouameni’s signing, Casemiro on their books. Los Blancos didn’t particularly need 200 million euros worth of midfielders after winning the Champions League with those five, but both were signed anyway, just because that’s what Real Madrid do. In goal, they have two goalkeepers who would start for most clubs in Europe – Tibo Courtois and Andriy Lunin. In defence, they have David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger, and Eder Militao, who, also, would start for most. In midfield, they have the aforementioned Tchouameni and Bellingham, alongside Luka Modric, Fede Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, and Brahim Diaz. Finally, in attack, they have Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Endrick, and Arda Guler.
Four players in world football are tied for the highest market value in the world, at 180 million euros. Three of them (Mbappe, Vini, Bellingham) are Madrid players. 7 of the 17 most expensive players in the world are Madrid players, and 36% of the players in world football with a nine-digit market value are contracted to the club. The business of Real Madrid is now and has been since Perez took over is to get a ridiculous amount of depth in every position, by luring players with the fame and fortune of the club, and its history. While it didn’t work in his first stint as club president, he found the secret in his second term – young players. After instating a policy in which he didn’t overspend on anyone unless they still had a long time to go at the top, it worked like magic, winning the club 6 Champions Leagues in 10 years, efficiency which has been unmatched by any club.
Usually, when Madrid go for a player, we usually see at least one or two teams also targeting the player, with massive transfer and wage offers to try and outspend them. However, it’s usually pretty plain early on that the player will only accept a move to the Bernabeu, leaving the selling club with no choice but to hash things out on an agreement with the sly Florentino Perez.
So, when Real Madrid started using these tactics once again this summer to pursue 18-year old Lille centerback Leny Yoro, the football world knew that it was only a matter of time until the perceived future of his position ended up in the Spanish capital, wearing white, such as is the case for so many. Back in 2019, similar means were used by the club to sign a young Porto defender in a similar situation as Yoro – Eder Militao. Since then, he’s played over 150 times for the club and has become one of the most highly regarded players in the world at his position. Once the interest of Madrid was confirmed in Militao, no other club really went for him, just waited for his transfer to happen and started to look at other targets. These sorts of things happened so regularly that, in the presentation of his golden goose, the longest Real Madrid transfer target, Kylian Mbappe, Florentino Perez proudly proclaimed that there was not a single player that he wanted that he did not get.
However, there was a club that was looking to slay the demon that is Real Madrid, a club not named Barcelona, usually the only club in world football that’s able to beat them to a signing and the only one that can match their glamour and attractiveness to transfer targets. A club that wanted Leny Yoro for themselves, and was looking to steal him from under Madrid’s noses.
Manchester United has been in a lot of trouble since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, their greatest ever manager, going spontaneously between gaffers and european competitions, and has never since placed higher than second in the Premier League or advanced further than the Champions League quarterfinals. They’re a club that, at the same time Madrid was luring the best young centerback in the world in Eder Militao, was signing Harry Maguire for over 25 million euros more. Real Madrid has lost by 7 goals only once in their history, over 90 years ago, while Manchester United lost by 7 goals just a year and a half ago. Manchester United is a club which shouldn’t even be in the same league as Madrid when it comes to transfers.
That didn’t stop Manchester United, led by a new crack team of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Dan Ashworth leading their transfers, both having assumed their roles between the past winter window and this window, neither having any experience prior to this summer on transfers with big clubs, and thus, neither having experienced first hand the transfer madness of Florentino Perez. A more experienced transfer team would have never considered making a move to try to steal Yoro from the clutches of Madrid, but these guys, fresh on the scene, were looking to be bold.
The negotiations between Real Madrid and Yoro’s current team, Lille, were at a standstill. Lille wanted 50 million euros for Yoro, up front. Real Madrid were willing to offer only half of that, and if Lille didn’t want to sell, Madrid would snap him up in 2025 for nothing after his contract expired. It’s a strategy that works, and that has seen Madrid pick up plenty of players for below market value. However, it’s a strategy that relies the player to be adamant on a move to the Spanish capital. Madrid or nothing. That’s where Dan Ashworth and Sir Jim found their weak point, and decided to strike.
Step one: Outbid. Lille wanted 50 million? Give them 50 million. They want this step to be as easy and quick as possible, so Lille have a better impression of them than they do of Madrid, and may try to get Yoro to move to them rather than Real.
Step two: Convince Yoro. This can be done through a variety of methods, and the first obvious way is through wages. Pay a lot higher than what Madrid is offering. That much is a no-brainer. However, you then have to convince Yoro that your club is better than Madrid for your player. You then also have to rely on some luck, the transfer negotiations between Madrid and Lille being at a standstill, so the Yoro thinks that this may be his only shot at a big move this summer.
Step three: Move quickly. The longer negotiations drag on, the longer Madrid and Lille have to reach an agreement, and the worse it’ll turn out for you. Get it done, and get it done quickly.
Manchester United did all of these three things, and it made for an absolute spectacle of a few days. Madrid were slipping, but still didn’t think Yoro would actually agree to move to United. Turns out, he did. In a space of just over a day, United got the bid in, player negotiations done, and medical scheduled. The football world was stunned. Florentino Perez, the man who the day before was parading his masterpiece around the Bernabeu, Kylian Mbappe, signed for free, and proclaimed that he simply doesn’t fail to sign players, had failed to sign a player. The future of centerbacks was on his way to Manchester United, and there was nothing he could do about it.
That’s all for today, I usually don’t go on about transfer sagas, but the Leny Yoro to Man Utd saga was one that just needed one. A nearly cinematic saga, and one that could be remembered for years if things go well. Anyway, I’m Jim James, until next time.