Manchester United defender Raphael Varane does not look like he is long for Old Trafford, although the new owners INEOS could impact that. There are contradicting reports on the Frenchman’s future, with Real Madrid reportedly considering a move for the ex-World Cup winner. Yet interest from a large competitor could see them drop out of the race.
The line coming out of Valdebebas is that they are keen to bring in a defender that was cheap, and would not impact their summer plans in terms of finances. Varane has a high salary, but given his contract is close to its expiry, and he is not playing at United, there was a feeling it could work out well for Los Blancos.
Carlo Ancelotti is reportedly keen to bring him back to the Santiago Bernabeu, although the club have denied that he is an option. Sport are now saying that Bayern Munich are looking to solve their own defensive issues with the signing of Varane, which is not a problem in of itself. Yet their willingness to put up to €20m on the table for Varane may well be.
Real Madrid famously do not hand out contracts longer than a year to anyone in their thirties, and signing Varane for a fee would fly in the face of their transfer policy over the past five years or so. Los Blancos may be tempted to spend on a younger option with the potential to make it into the first team, but it seems unlikely they would spend around half that money on an ageing Varane.
