Manchester United have reportedly faced a setback in pursuit of Raphael Varane, with Real Madrid turning down their €55 million offer for the French defender.
According to reputed Turkish journalist Ekrem Konur, Real Madrid have rejected a €55 million bid from Manchester United for Raphael Varane. The Spanish giants do not wish to part ways with the French defender in the summer transfer window following the departure of Sergio Ramos.
Ramos has come a long way since arriving at Real Madrid from RC Lens as a prodigious teenager in the summer of 2011. Over the past decade, the 28-year-old has made a meteoric rise within the Merengues’ first-team setup while also establishing himself as one of the best defenders in the game.
To date, Varane has featured 360 times for Real Madrid while chipping in with 17 goals and seven assists. However, Los Blancos are in a precarious situation over the future of the French centre-back, whose contract with the club runs out in a little over a year, with talks over a renewal on hold, as per reports. Such a situation has alerted Manchester United.
Manchester United hold a long-standing interest in Varane, having made a couple of attempts to prise him away from Real Madrid previously. The Red Devils are now in their strongest position to secure the services of the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner, and to that end, they have tabled a €55 million offer for him.
The interest in Varane is hardly unfounded, with Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly not really taking their chances over the course of their respective stints at Manchester United. The duo has also been hampered by a few fitness issues, meaning it is imperative that the Red Devils sign a reliable central defensive partner for captain Harry Maguire.
To that end, Varane is a viable target for Manchester United, who are also willing to offer him a lucrative pay package to tempt him to make the switch to Old Trafford. However, United will need to do a lot more to land the 28-year-old, with Real Madrid rejecting their €55 million bid.
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In addition, there have also been suggestions that Varane prefers a move to Paris Saint-Germain – another one of his suitors this summer – over Manchester United. So, for all intents and purposes, it looks like Manchester United have quite a herculean task to swoop Varane away from Real Madrid.
As far as Los Blancos themselves are concerned, they are unwilling to part ways with Varane, period, after already witnessing the departure of Sergio Ramos. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if Manchester United table an improved bid for Varane or if they are forced to consider alternatives instead.
