Aheed Abrar
Al-Ittihad interested in Manchester United centre-back Raphael Varane
Manchester United defender Raphael Varane is attracting interest from Al-Ittihad in the ongoing transfer window, according to Italian journalist Rudy Galetti on Twitter via Inside Futbol (h/t Manchester Evening News).
The Saudi Pro League outfit are ‘weighing up’ a move for the French national this summer. However, it remains to be seen whether the 30-year-old will be willing to join the Middle Eastern side in the coming weeks.
Saudi Arabia has enticed a number of top players from European football over the last few months. Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the first big names to make his way there in January 2023.
Subsequently, in the ongoing transfer window, the Saudi Pro League has seen the addition of the likes of Neymar, Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
Al-Ittihad have former Real Madrid star Karim Benzema in their ranks. Another one of Varane’s compatriots, N’Golo Kante, is also at the Jeddah-based club.
Varane established himself as a world-class individual at Los Blancos before signing for United in the summer of 2021. Since then, the defender has been a key player for us.
In the previous campaign, the French national formed an admirable partnership with Lisandro Martinez at the Old Trafford side. Erik ten Hag has stuck with the same duo in his backline at the start of the new season. Although, the club looked a bit shaky defensively in the opening two fixtures.
Unfortunately, Varane has been injury-prone during his time at the Red Devils. As a result, in the 2022/23 term, Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire got their fair share of opportunities as well.
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The French national is arguably in the final stretch of his career. Therefore, it would not be a surprise to see the defender move to Saudi in the coming years to get a massive final paycheck.
