Manchester United reportedly won the race to sign Enzo Kana-Biyik after blowing away the competition for the French starlet with a “crazy” offer.
Kana-Biyik, 18, will leave Le Havre when his contract with the Ligue 1 side expires this summer despite hope at the Stade Oceane he would sign a new deal. Instead, the talented striker appears set to join the Red Devils after a report revealed the 18-year-old had reached an agreement with the Mancunian club yesterday, as relayed by The Peoples Person.
INEOS, who gained full control of the football operation at Old Trafford last February after Sir Jim Ratcliffe was ratified as the club’s new co-owner, have implemented a shift in focus towards recruiting the best academy talent across the world.
Domestically, United completed a double raid on Premier League rival Arsenal for two of the Gunners’ highly-rated prospects, Chido Obi (17) and Ayden Heaven (18). Both players have since made their senior debut for their new club under Ruben Amorim, demonstrating the streamlined path towards the first team Old Trafford can offer young talent.
Further afield, United have also agreed deals for Sekou Kone (18) from Mali side Guidars FC and Paraguay wonderkid Diego Leon (17) from Cerro Porteño, demonstrating the global scope of the Reds’ approach.
However, the plan for their latest acquisition will be different.
United plan to send the Kana-Biyik on loan to Swiss Super League side FC-Lausanne Sport, who INEOS hold a minority ownership in. The Petrochemical giant also retain control of Ligue 1’s OGC Nice within their sports portfolio.
The ‘multi-club’ model has increasingly become a major part of modern football with the owners of Manchester City, Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion, among others, holding control of other smaller clubs throughout the globe.
This tactic enables a synergised approach to recruitment with a big side able to place talented youngsters in one of their sister clubs, which offers a better environment – with less pressure and better opportunities of first-team experience – for development.
Kana-Biyik is currently in Le Havre’s u-19 side, where he has scored nine goals and provided one assist in 15 games. He is considered one of the brightest prospects in French football with a tall frame and excellent mobility.
But at this stage of his fledging career, he would not be close to featuring for the United first team, particularly with a highly-rated prospect such as Danish phenom Obi already in the queue at Old Trafford.
Instead, INEOS can secure the French starlet’s signature but allow him to continue his progression on loan at senior level in a top division of a European league. If Kana-Biyik impresses for FC-Lausanne next season, he could then hope to push for a place Amorim’s squad at the end of this loan with twelve months of first-team experience in his locker.
Kana-Biyik had attracted serious interest from Olympique de Marseille, with reports suggesting the Ligue 1 side had been locked in negotiations for the 18-year-old striker. But, according to French journalist Mohamed Toubache-Ter, United’s offer blew their continental rivals out of the water.
“Regarding Enzo Kana-Biyik, Marseille did not want to outbid… what United is offering is crazy, it makes your head spin,” Toubache-Ter contends.
INEOS will be hoping Kana-Biyik’s progress in Switzerland next season will justify this head-spinning approach with United’s emphasis on securing world-class young talent showing no signs of slowing down under the club’s new ownership.
Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
