Reports suggest that Manchester United have employed scout Javier Ribalta from Juventus. The Italian, who is currently employed as the scouting manager for the Italian champions, will join chief scouts Jim Lawlor and Marcel Bout is spotting potential talent for United for the season ahead.
Ribalta has been at the club for five years before confirming on Juve’s website that he was leaving.
It has been a wonderful few years here. My thanks go to all involved with the club, particularly Giuseppe Marotta and Fabio Paratici for the faith they have shown in me since day one. I will look back on my time at Juventus with great pleasure.
While it is obviously great news for United to bring such an experienced coach to the club, the added bonus is Ribalta’s close relationship with our target Alvaro Morata. After Morata spent two years at the Italian club, Morata mentioned Ribalta by name in his open letter.
Ribalta had been a fan of Morata since watching him in Real Madrid’s youth team and Spain’s junior teams. The scout encouraged Juve to spend €20million on Morata, 21 at the time, which was their largest expenditure for five years.
Mourinho will be hoping that Ribalta can help convince Morata to leave Real Madrid for a second time, but this time to move to Old Trafford.
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