Manchester United have reportedly been told to shell out £60 million to sign Raphael Varane from Real Madrid this coming summer.
According to a report by Daily Mail, Manchester United now know how much they will have to pay to secure the services of Raphael Varane. Real Madrid are demanding £60 million for the French defender, who could be open to joining the Red Devils, who are so far unwilling to match Los Blancos’ valuation.
Varane has enjoyed an illustrious decade-long stint with Real Madrid since arriving from Lens in the summer of 2011. And, in the past half-a-decade or so, the French international has been nearly untouchable in the Real Madrid defence, having forged a solid partnership with captain Sergio Ramos.
Till date, Varane has turned out 355 times for Los Blancos, even chipping in with 17 goals and 7 assists while winning every trophy at club level with the Spanish giants. However, his Real Madrid future is up in the air, with reports suggesting that Varane is seeking a new adventure this summer. This has piqued the interest of long-term suitors Manchester United.
The Premier League heavyweights have previously made attempts to swoop Varane away from Real Madrid, only to be met with a rejection for their offers. However, this summer is their best chance so far to snap up the 27-year-old, with Manchester United’s keenness to sign him also making a great deal of sense.
While Harry Maguire has been an immovable object at the heart of the Manchester United defence and has been steadily improving his game, Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly have struggled with some fitness issue or the other. The usually reliable Lindelof has been dealing with a chronic back problem for quite some time now, thereby necessitating the arrival of a new centre-back.
To that end, Manchester United have been linked with a number of central defenders, including Pau Torres and Jules Kounde, also on Real Madrid’s radar, coincidentally as a potential Varane replacement. As for Varane himself, he is a viable target for the Red Devils, who will have a proven winner in their squad by signing him and one who is also growing as a leader.
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Manchester United, though, will need to pay the big bucks to secure his services, with Real Madrid slapping a £60 million price tag on him. The report, however, claims that United are reluctant to part with such a sum and having received encouragement that he is ready to call it quits with the reigning La Liga champions, they will try to drive down his asking price.
Meanwhile, PSG are also providing stiff competition to Manchester United in pursuit of Varane and it will be interesting to see if they can stave off competition from the French giants in the race to sign the 27-year-old while also reaching an agreement over an acceptable transfer fee for both the parties.
