Manchester United could be set to lose one of their senior squad members next year, with a reliable journalist revealing that he’s been the subject of internal talks at a club who want to buy him in January.
Man Utd’s current defenders
The Red Devils have Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans as their natural options at centre-back as it stands, but there’s a strong possibility that three of them could soon be heading for the exit door.
Both Lindelof and Evans will have reached the expiration of their deals at the end of the current season (Man Utd contracts), whilst Maguire could attract attention once again having been the subject of interest over the summer despite not leaving before the deadline.
Another player who is facing an uncertain future is Raphael Varane, who has fallen significantly out of favour this season having made just four starts and the same number of substitute appearances in the Premier League (WhoScored – Varane stats).
The France international is therefore expected to receive offers from clubs in the Saudi Pro League during the upcoming window, and with CaughtOffside having since claimed that Erik ten Hag could sell him for the right price, the 30-year-old has emerged as a serious target for a high-profile admirer overseas.
Bayern Munich want Raphael Varane
Taking to X, Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg confirmed that European giants Bayern Munich are interested in Varane and have held talks over a possible move, but as it stands, a deal is unlikely to take place due to his unbelievably high salary.
He wrote: “Excl. News #Varane: Internally, FC Bayern has considered the 30 y/o. Discussions took place. Internal opinion: interesting but currently unrealistic because of his salary. It’s not a hot topic yet, but he remains under observation in the next weeks.
“Bayern informed that his departure in winter is possible / #MUFC. Price valuation: €20-30m [£17-26m] / a loan is not an option at this stage. Salary: more than £17m.”
Man Utd need to keep “leader” in Varane
Standing at 6 foot 3, Varane provides a fantastic physical presence at the heart of Man United’s backline with his height where he’s currently averaging 2.5 clearances per game in the top-flight. The Lille native is also extremely calm and composed in possession, recording a 92.4% pass success rate at this moment in time which shows how good he is with the ball at his feet as well as when he’s trying to get rid of the danger off the ground.
Sponsored by Puma, Ten Hag’s colossus even has the versatility to operate out wide at right-back and higher up as a defensive midfielder alongside his usual role at centre-back (Transfermarkt – Varane stats), so the fact that he’s able to easily adapt to positions outside of his own makes him a great option to have in the building.
As per journalist Josh Bunting, Varane is a “leader” in the defence and he’s arguably one of the strongest options that the manager has at his disposal, so sanctioning his sale at the start of next year could be the wrong decision to make, but by th looks of it, it’s a possibility.
