Pranav Nair
Manchester United could be priced out of a move for Raphael Varane
According to The Telegraph (Subscription Required), Manchester United face a stumbling block in their efforts to sign Raphael Varane thanks to Real Madrid’s €60million asking price.
Having secured Jadon Sancho, United are now focussing their attentions elsewhere in the summer window. Bringing in a new centre-back is at the top of the agenda and Varane has been earmarked as the top target.
Varane has just one year remaining on his current contract at the Santiago Bernabeu and isn’t too keen on signing a new deal. A move this summer will bring to an end what has been a trophy-laden decade in Spain.
United believe the valuation is on the higher side for a player whose contract is expiring in a year’s time. It makes little sense for us to pay a king’s ransom this summer when Varane is available for free at the end of next season.
Real meanwhile have parted ways with manager Zinedine Zidane and skipper Sergio Ramos. Los Blancos are in a stage of a rebuild but are short of cash to do so. They hope to get what they want for Varane in order to finance other signings. Whether United will play ball remains to be seen.
Real are very keen to land Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain and have even offered Varane in part exchange for his signature. The defender however is not ready to play ball and is targetting a move to the Premier League instead. This is good news for United, who are in desperate need of a reliable new centre-back.
Of our centre-backs, only Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof appear to have a future at the club. The likes of Phil Jones and Eric Bailly could be sold while Axel Tuanzebe looks set to leave on loan. It is possible that the 28-year-old Varane could be just one of two major signings at the back this summer. (h/t Manchester Evening News)
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Signing Varane could be a game-changer for United. Bringing him in will see the Red Devils address a key area in which the team was short of quality this past season.
