Manchester United are preparing bid for french Real Madrid defender Raphaël Varane.
According to Spanish journalist Pipi Estrada, Manchester United have are seriously interested in the French ok international.
The 28-year-old French Defender, who has been on United’s radar since joining Madrid in 2011 has continued to reject talks over a new contract at the Santiago Bernabeu in search of a new challenge, and United are keen to give him that.
Varane, whose contract at Bernabeu is due to expire in June 2022, is Solskjaer’s top defensive target and sources have said that United are ready to move for the 28-year-old after receiving encouragement that Madrid are prepared to negotiate a realistic fee for the player.
Manchester United have been considering Villareal’s defender Pau Torres as an alternative defender, but efforts to sign Varane have now been stepped up following France’s surprise knockout exit from the Euro 2020 following Tuesday’s round-of-16 defeat against Switzerland.
Despite Varane’s diminishing contract, Madrid had initially valued the centre-half at €70m — a price-tag that United regarded as too high for a player entering the final year of his contract.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes finding a centre-back partner for Harry Maguire is the most-pressing issue on his Sancho-less list of things to sort out, and Varane is billed as the priority target for United this summer.
Should a move for Varane collapse, United are expected to turn to Villarreal’s Pau Torres, with The Guardian claiming the 24-year-old is actually Solskjaer’s preferred target.
