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Journalist Fabrizio Romano issued an update this morning on the ongoing transfer rumours linking Manchester United defender Raphael Varane with a move back to former club Real Madrid.
Last week, The Peoples Person reported that the Spanish giants have been considering a move for Varane after the injury of first-choice centre-back David Alaba.
Spanish news outlet Sport added that Madrid could be expected to pay €20 million to lure the French World Cup winner back to Santiago Bernabeu.
Alternatively, Los Blancos were believed to be open to signing Varane on loan, with the player being provided with the option of whether or not to make his move permanent at the end of the season.
The next day, however, it appeared as if Varane was inclined to remain at Old Trafford, with the defender reportedly hoping for Man United to trigger the one-year extension on his contract once his current deal expires in 2024.
Suddenly, another plot twist emerged in the form of a report alleging that Varane would be willing to take a pay cut in order to move back to Madrid.
Yesterday, Sport added to the ongoing Varane transfer circus, reporting that Bayern Munich could challenge Madrid for Varane’s signature after the Bavarian club’s sporting director identified the United centre-back as a potential target in the January transfer window.
L’Equipe claimed that Varane could also wind up joining a former club of his besides Madrid, namely, Ligue 1 side Lens.
The French newspaper also suggested that Varane may be open to this move.
This morning, in an effort to provide some clarity on Varane’s transfer situation, Romano issued an update in his Daily Briefing, revealing that Madrid have not yet made contact with Varane’s camp or United.
“What Real Madrid are doing is to explore the market at the moment, and from what I’ve heard, Raphael Varane is not in contact with them and neither have the club approached Manchester United at this stage,” Romano clarified.
Still, the Italian journalist warned that Los Blancos are holding internal discussions over a potential move for Varane, with manager Carlo Ancelotti and the board of directors involved in the talks.
While Varane has not been involved in United’s starting lineup to the same extent as he was last season, he has nonetheless proven to be an indispensable asset for United.
Given the extended absence of Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire’s recent groin injury, United manager Erik ten Hag will need to think carefully about whether or not he could afford to potentially lose Varane in the transfer window.
Should Ten Hag not allow Varane a way back into the starting 11 on a more regular basis, this may push him toward the exit door.
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