According to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Manchester Evening News), Manchester United could look to bring in Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane next summer. The Red Devils could not manage to get any central defender this summer, partly due to their inability to offload fringe players. The club have had a long-standing interest in the player which goes far back to 2011.
The 27-year-old French centre-back started his youth career at AS Hellemmes in 2000 and moved to Lens’ youth academy after two seasons. Spending the next couple of seasons in the youth teams, he was promoted to the ‘B’ team in 2010.
Within a few months, he was promoted to the senior side. He went on to make 24 appearances before Real Madrid came calling in 2011. Since putting on the white of Madrid, Varane has been nothing but outstanding.
Varane has amassed over 300 appearances for the Blancos to date, scoring 16 goals and assisting 7 more (source – Transfermarkt). He has suffered from the occasional injury problems but no one can deny he has been genuinely world-class.
Winning everything possible with Madrid, Varane has also tasted success with his national team, winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He has 67 caps for Les Bleus to date.
Ever since the legendary duo of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand left the club, United have struggled to find a solid defensive pairing at the heart of their backline. They have spent millions, yet they look no better than Sunday league players when opposition forwards raid their box.
Harry Maguire was supposed to solve their crisis and even though there has been a steady improvement, the jury is still out on his ability. The same goes for Lindelof, who has been anything but solid. These are two of United’s best defenders, yet watching them is like a comedy of errors.
A world class centre-back like Raphael Varane would be a welcome addition to Old Trafford. If he has proven anything at Real Madrid, it’s that he is a reliable customer at the back. This is exactly what Manchester United lack and signing Varane would be a really fantastic move.
It will definitely not be easy to prise away Varane from Madrid but with time running out on his current contract, United can hope to use it to their advantage. Just 27 years old, he can provide Man United with some good years at the heart of their defence.