Man United eyeing Ronald Araújo and Jean-Clair Todibo as potential replacements for Raphaël Varane

According to ESPN, Manchester United are willing to let go of Raphaël Varane for free in the summer as part of a mass exodus.

The France international has a contract until June 2025 at Old Trafford, but the club would be willing to terminate the deal in order to free up the wage bill and comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

For the outgoing Varane, Man United are eyeing replacements in Barcelona’s Ronald Araújo and Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo, according to the Manchester Evening News (MEN).

Barça’s financial troubles mean no player is “not for sale”, and the Uruguayan could be shown the exit door should an offer arrive in the region of €100 million.

For Todibo, United are likely to face competition from AC Milan and Spurs, according to L’Équipe. The ex-Barça man will potentially be available for a comparatively smaller fee.

🚨 Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr have both shown interest in signing Raphael Varane this summer.

Al-Nassr are tracking Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Al-Hilal are one to watch in the race for Casemiro.

Man Utd have made it clear that all three players would be available.

(Source: @JacobsBen) pic.twitter.com/tRbSFJBC8A

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) April 29, 2024

Due diligence is key

Manchester United need to make a fair few calls before deciding upon which defender to replace Varane with.

To start things off, it doesn’t look necessary to terminate the French veteran’s contract, who could still fetch some funds for the club in transfer fees given interest from Saudi Arabia.

Secondly, with their director of football role still vacant, the club’s new sporting owners need to make a call on whether they want Erik ten Hag to continue next season at the club. If they choose to dismiss him, they may need to settle for a temporary appointment before Dan Ashworth, or anyone for that matter, assumes the directorial duties to look after further managerial appointments.

Lastly, regardless of whom they go for, United need to be prudent with their spending. Araújo’s €100m price tag, case in point, is the kind of fee the Red Devils ought to steer clear of for the time being.

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Learning from past mistakes is the first key step the INEOS group needs to take.