A Candle In The Wind: Rafael da Silva to join Lyon

Lyon have rekindled their interest in Manchester United right-back Rafael and are now rapidly closing on his signature.

In comparison Rafael only created six chances although his passing accuracy of 84% was two percent higher than the French global. They won’t be spent at United but hopefully he can resurrect his career in France.

He only made 1o appearances, compared to 19 and 28 in the previous seasons, under David Moyes and Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Brazilian full-back has been deemed surplus to requirements at Old Trafford and Louis van Gaal has reportedly told the defender that he can leave the club this summer.

Rafael has been frozen out by Louis van Gaal since the second half of last season and he was not part of the squad which toured the United States of America last month.

According to L’Equipe, Lyon are set to beat off competition from the likes of Galatasaray, Benfica, Roma and Fiorentina to secure the services of Rafael and the transfer could be finalized within next week.

With winger Antonio Valencia having been preferred at right-back for most of last season by Van Gaal, it is clear Rafael has no future in Manchester, despite having one year left on his contract.

Despite finding as an outcast at United, Rafael has been courted by a host of clubs and it can now be revealed that Lyon are on the verge of securing the services of the Brazilian.