Former Manchester United defender Wes Brown has advised the club to make a move for Real Madrid and France international defender Raphael Varane in the summer.
Manchester United should make the signing of World Cup winning centre-back Raphael Varane from Real Madrid their top priority in the summer transfer window, former Red Devils defender Wes Brown has iterated in an interview with the Evening Standard.
Manchester United struggled with defensive issues throughout the first half of the season with none of the defenders on the club’s books performing at the required level. Things have improved to some extent under interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with Victor Lindelof and Phil Jones impressing in recent matches.
However, the 20-time English champions reportedly remain intent on securing the services of a new central defender come summer. A lot of names have been linked with a move to Old Trafford, with Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly and Tottenham Hotspur’s Toby Alderweireld being the most prominent ones.
But, former Manchester United star Wes Brown believes that the club would stand to benefit greatly from signing Varane from Real Madrid in the summer window.
“The dream defender for United would be Raphael Varane,” the 39-year-old, who made 361 appearances for Manchester United, said. “He would cost a lot and it would need to be the right fit for United.”
Varane has established himself as one of the finest defenders across Europe during his time with Real Madrid. A four-time UEFA Champions League winner, the 25-year-old also played an integral role in France’s FIFA World Cup 2018 triumph.
The Real Madrid star has been Manchester United’s radar since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson. In fact, the Red Devils were believed to be plotting a £100 million swoop for the Frenchman in last summer’s transfer window as well, with then manager Jose Mourinho keen on bolstering his defence. However, no transfer materialised back then.
Varane hasn’t had the best of seasons for Real Madrid this time out. So far in the 2018-19 term, the 25-year-old has featured 27 times across all competitions, scoring a solitary goal in the process. He has showed signs of getting back to his best in recent matches, including a solid outing in the 1-1 draw against Barcelona earlier this week.
The Frenchman is contracted with Real Madrid till the summer of 2022 and Manchester United will have to come up with an enormous transfer offer if they are to convince Los Blancos to part with their prized asset.
It remains to be seen if the Red Devils heed Brown’s advice and go after Varane in the summer or pursue alternate targets to strengthen their defence.
