Manchester United Transfer News
Manchester United are reportedly lining up a move for Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane, who looks set to leave the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer. The French defender has been starved of first-team opportunities. He has also been injured for most of the campaign. Even when he has been fit, manager Zinedine Zidane has opted for the defensive pairing of Pepe and Sergio Ramos. Pepe’s future at Madrid is under doubt with his contract expiring in the summer, but this does not seem to have made an effect on Varane’s status in the team.
The defender has made only 19 starts in the league this season. He has not started a game since the 2-1 loss against Valencia in which he was one of the poor performers. Even though Varane is not seen as one of the important members in the team, speculation is that Madrid will demand around £50 million for the player. This would be an astronomical sum of money that would limit Varane’s options to a handful of clubs with Manchester United being one of them. It is no secret that Jose Mourinho is a huge fan of the player. It was the Portuguese who brought Varane to Madrid back in 2011.
Throughout his time at Madrid, Mourinho constantly defended Varane even when the player was not at his best. He felt that Varane, as a player coming through the ranks, was significantly ahead of any other defender he had coached his career. These were highlights of praise from a manager who has been in charge of clubs like Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid. Manchester United were thinking about making a move for a central defender during the January transfer window. However, doubts about the ability of Victor Lindelof – their primary January transfer target – to succeed in the Premier League led to the move being pulled off.
Varane is a different situation indeed. Jose Mourinho knows the player inside out and he is still extremely young at just 23 years of age. Yet, he has enough confidence and experience to be able to lead the team alongside Eric Bailly. It will be a good move for the Red Devils if it happens.
