Manchester United hasd this transfer window with a bang. They paid £73 for Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund and now have set their sights on, according to ESPN, the acquisition of Raphael Varane from Real Madrid.
The Spanish giants, however, cannot allow the French international to walk away from the club on a free transfer when his contract expires at the end of next season.
Cut Price Deal
According to various reports, Manchester United is close to completing a deal to acquire Varane, and there is a feeling that they will be able to acquire him for a price of approximately 50 million euros. With Varane in the last year of his contract and with no contract extension horizon, United could even try to sneak in with an even lower bid. He will be tempted as his reported weekly salary will be £200,000 a week.
Despite United finishing second in the Premier League last season, Manchester City had wrapped up the title much earlier than what United would have preferred. That yawning gap between first and second has to be narrowed, and one of the ways will be for United to strengthen their defence. They need to acquire a top-tier player to partner Harry Maguire at the heart of their defence, and Raphael Varane ticks that box. However, it might not all be plain sailing for United though.
It's been ten years since the France international joined Real Madrid, and him not signing a contract extension seems to indicate that he is ready for a fresh challenge. However, in light of Sergio Ramos' imminent transfer to French heavyweights, PSG, Real Madrid might be reluctant to allow the 28-year-old to leave the club, and new manager Carlo Ancelotti is seeking urgent discussions with his French World Cup champion.
Frank Leboeuf has misgivings
Former French international Frank Leboeuf is not so sure about the abilities of his fellow countryman. Leboeuf, who previously played for Chelsea and France, says that while the potential defensive combination of Harry Maguire and Varane seems good on paper, he believes his compatriot will be unlikely to add to his medal collection at Old Trafford.
He says he believes that Ramos was the rock of the defence over the years, and with Ramos being injured for a large part of last season, the defence showed frailty throughout the season. It, therefore, seems that Manchester United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have important considerations to think about before making this decision.
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