Manchester United dealt a major blow as Raphael Varane chooses to join Paris Saint-Germain
According to Spanish El Confidencial (h/t The Mirror), Manchester United have suffered a setback in their pursuit of Real Madrid star Raphael Varane this summer.
The 28-year-old is set to enter the final year of his contract at the Santiago Bernabeu. So far, negotiations regarding a new deal have not yielded any fruit and the player looks set to leave this summer.
United for their part have been long-term admirers of the French ace, keeping tabs on him since his time at Lens. Varane however has his heart set on a return to his homeland with Paris Saint-Germain.
Real are keen to cash in on the player and can sell him for around £51.5m this summer. While the asking price is steep for a player who has just one year left on his contract, Varane is a world-class defender in the prime of his career.
Missing out on Varane is a blow for United who are in the market for a new centre-back. The Red Devils are on the lookout for a reliable defender who can partner Harry Maguire at the back. If the news regarding Varane is true, we will now have to focus our attentions elsewhere.
Double trouble?
Varane’s decision could however snowball into more news for United in their hunt for a centre-back. This is because Real have earmarked Sevilla star Jules Kounde to replace Varane at the Bernabeu.
Sevilla are demanding a similar fee for Kounde as Real Madrid are asking for Varane. It is possible there may be a transfer merry-go-round sparked by the latter’s exit. United who are also interested in Kounde could come out of the whole ordeal without neither player.
More Manchester United News
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- Manchester United keen to install Juan Mata as a future board member at Old Trafford
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer tells Manchester United to pull out all stops in securing Jadon Sancho
United cannot afford to go into the new season sans a reliable partner for Maguire. Doing so would once again showcase that we are not ready to learn from the mistakes of the past.
