90min

Man Utd to 'explore' deal for £60m-rated Raphael Varane

By Jamie Spencer

Raphael Varane is not expected to renew his contract with Real Madrid
Raphael Varane is not expected to renew his contract with Real Madrid / Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images
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Manchester United have been tipped to ‘explore’ a potential deal for Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane in their hunt for a centre-back partner for Harry Maguire this summer.

Varane has been heavily linked with United on and off for a decade, even before he sealed a high-profile transfer to Real Madrid from Lens while still a teenager in the summer of 2011. But the rumours have come back in 2021 as the Frenchman nears the final year of his contract in Spain.

Man Utd are in the market for a centre-back & Varane is proven at the highest level
Man Utd are in the market for a centre-back & Varane is proven at the highest level / Soccrates Images/Getty Images

There has been no indication that an agreement over a new deal for Varane to extend his Bernabeu stay is close and Real will have to consider selling him this summer if he makes it clear that he is prepared to run down his current contract and potentially leave as a free agent in 2022.

United are in the market for a centre-back but have generally been exploring younger options, whittling down a shortlist of possible targets to Jules Kounde, 22, or Pau Torres, 24. But Varane, despite his years at the highest level, will only turn 28 later this month.

His contract situation adds a degree of opportunism and the Daily Mail suggests that United have been given ‘encouragement’ he is ready to leave Real.

Los Blancos could still ask as much as £60m for Varane, with player sales set to be a major source of funding for their own transfer activity this year, but there could also be competition for his signature from Paris Saint-Germain. He was born and raised in Lille in the north eastern corner of France, before moving to nearby Lens, but it is suggested he was still a PSG fan growing up.

Man Utd have primarily been eyeing younger targets like Pau Torres
Man Utd have primarily been eyeing younger targets like Pau Torres / David Ramos/Getty Images

Even if Kounde or Torres remain the priority, Varane’s potential availability could change the overall situation if there is a genuine chance to sign him. He is proven at the highest level, having won four Champions League trophies and the World Cup, and would be a similar price. It is even said that United would try and negotiate Real’s expected asking price down from £60m.

When former United captain Gary Neville was recently asked to name the player he would most want to bring in from a rival club this summer, the answer he gave was Varane.

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