Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is reportedly planning to sign Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane in January.
According to reports from Spanish outlet Don Balon, Real Madrid defender and World Cup winner Raphael Varane has emerged as a transfer target for Premier League giants Manchester United.
The Red Devils’ manager Jose Mourinho, who brought Varane to Madrid during his time at Santiago Bernabeu, is reportedly keen on a reunion with his former ward when the winter transfer window opens in January.
Manchester United find themselves in somewhat of a crisis situation after having lost two of their three Premier League games in the new season. Most recently, the 20-time English champions were battered 3-0 by top-four rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Monday night, with the defence looking in shambles.
Mourinho was intent on bringing in a new centre-back all through the summer, but was left empty-handed. The club’s attempts to sign Toby Alderweireld and Harry Maguire proved to be unfruitful, while Jerome Boateng and Diego Godin turned down the chance to join the English heavyweights.
Following their dismal start to the new campaign, which has seen them concede seven goals in three games, Mourinho is hoping that he will be backed by the club in the winter window and has set his sights on Madrid’s Varane.
The France international’s name has been linked with a move to United with utmost regularity since Jose took over the reins at the club two years ago. Reportedly, the Red Devils were plotting a £100 million bid to try and sign the 25-year old on the English transfer deadline day earlier this month.
Having signed Varane at Madrid back in 2011 and nurtured him during the early years of his career, Mourinho remains a huge admirer of the Frenchman. The former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager is understood to have already made contact with the defender’s representatives, with a January move in mind.
Varane has established himself as one of the finest young centre-backs in the game during his time with the Merengues. The 25-year old has accumulated 235 appearances for the Spanish capital outfit, winning two La Liga titles in the process and as many as four UEFA Champions League trophies as well.
The centre-back also played a huge role for the French national team as they lifted the 2018 FIFA World Cup earlier this summer in Russia.
However, after an unconvincing display in Real’s UEFA Super Cup defeat to neighbours Atletico Madrid, Varane has been left out on the bench by new manager Julen Lopetegui in their first two La Liga outings of the new season. And Mourinho is hoping to capitalize on the situation when the winter transfer window opens.
A proven winner with loads of top-level experience at a fairly young age, Varane fits the bill perfectly for United. However, he still has four years left on his contract with Los Blancos, that reportedly has a £180 million release clause. As a result, it will take a huge offer from the Mancunians to get Real to part with the 25-year old come January.
