Manchester United and Real Madrid have reportedly reached an impasse over a transfer fee for Raphael Varane.
Varane has been strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford for the last couple of months, with Real believed to be keen to cash in on the defender before his deal at the Bernabeu expires next summer.
However, according to the Mirror, United are only willing to pay £40 million for the defender, £10 million short of Real's valuation.
Talks are said to still be in progress and, given the 28-year-old Frenchman's contract situation, the prospect of Real dropping their asking price feels realistic enough.
We'd all like £50 million instead of £40 million - obviously - but £40 million rather than nothing? Hand: just snap it off.
Then again, this does seem to be this summer's designated protracted transfer saga, so maybe Real are just getting into the spirit of things and helping to prolong the suspense...
If Varane does eventually depart, it will represent the end of an era in the Spanish capital, with Sergio Ramos already having left this summer - and subsequently joined PSG.
The two partnered each other at the heart of the Real defence for the bulk of the last seven seasons, winning two La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues in that time.
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