Manchester United are reportedly preparing for Raphael Varane’s departure at the end of his contract in the summer.
According to Football Insider, 2018 World Cup winner Raphael Varane will be allowed to depart Manchester United once his contract expires in the summer, with the club holding no intention of offering the French centre-back a new deal to extend his stay.
The 30-year-old central defender joined the Red Devils in 2021 in a £41 million deal from Real Madrid. The signing was seen as a huge coup due to four-time Champions League winner Varane’s pedigree while in Spain, but things haven’t gone quite to plan since.
A Carabao Cup winner last season, Varane’s defensive partnership with Lisandro Martinez was key to United’s successful 2022–23 season, but it has been broken up due to injuries for both players.
The defender has been in and out of the team, with Varane falling behind Harry Maguire in the pecking order at one stage. He has made a return to Erik ten Hag’s imminent plans, featuring in five of the club’s last six games, only missing a game through illness. In total, he has featured 18 times in all competitions for Manchester United this season.
He now faces an increasingly uncertain future at Old Trafford. The veteran French defender is out of contract in the summer, and United have no intention of activating their 12-month option or offering a new deal.
There is no doubting Varane’s ability—even at this stage of his career—but his lack of availability has been an issue for Ten Hag. A new era is dawning at Old Trafford under the guiding hand of Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The British billionaire’s purchase of a 25 percent stake in Manchester United was announced on Christmas Eve.
Final approval from the Premier League should come at some stage in the near future, but his influence has already been felt at United, with the club luring Omar Berrada to become the club’s new CEO at the behest of Ratcliffe and INEOS.
There has been a degree of short-termism with regard to a number of United’s signings in recent years. They have handed big salaries to stars on the decline, though INEOS may feel that is something that should be avoided going forward as they look to make a drastic shift in the club’s recruitment policy.
Netting an eye-watering £340,000 per week, Varane is one of the Red Devils’ highest earners, and clearing his huge wages off the club’s books would allow them to presumably reinvest into new signings while creating some wiggle room with the FFP stranglehold.
Rumours have already begun that Varane wants out of United, with interest from Saudi Pro League clubs as well as a return to Ligue 1 being touted as a possibility.
