Manchester United appear to have come to the consensus that they cannot keep goalkeeper David de Gea for long. Real Madrid have had a long-standing interest in the player. They have tried to sign him on numerous occasions – most recently in 2015. However, there is growing positivity at the Spanish club that De Gea will finally make the switch to the Santiago Bernabeu. Growing concerns about goalkeeper Keylor Navas is a major factor behind this urgency to sign De Gea. The club have reportedly agreed a swap deal involving Rafael Varane and the Spanish goalkeeper.

Manager Jose Mourinho has been a long-term admirer of Varane. After all, it was the Portuguese who brought Varane to the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2011 for a fee of around €10 million. Varane was seen as a player with a lot of potential and he was coming through the ranks at Lens. Even though he has been at the club for more than five years, Varane is only 23 years old. However, he is yet to establish himself as a regular first-team player. The number of managers who have followed Mourinho have preferred using Sergio Ramos and Pepe as the preferred centre back pair. Varane often gets a game whenever one of the players are either injured or suspended.

Varane is keen to play regularly; a move that would make him a regular in the French national team. Since making his debut for France in 2013, Varane has featured in 35 league matches. After being involved in negotiations to sign several centre backs including Roma defender Kostas Manolas, it appears that Mourinho has switched his attention back to Varane. This appears sensible considering that Varane would not cost a lot. He has just over three years left on his contract, which runs out in the summer of 2020.

However, Madrid value him at around €35 million. Making him as part of the swap deal involving De Gea will help United negotiate an even better transfer fee for the player. In the current campaign, Varane has featured in 18 league appearances, although predominantly due to the absence of Pepe for large parts of the season. He has managed to score one goal and create one in these games.

There is growing concern at Manchester United that goalkeeper David de Gea will not sign a new contract at the club, despite being offered in excess of £ 200,000 per week. The player’s contract runs out in 2019, thus placing United in a precarious position in the summer transfer window.