Manchester United have been encouraged in their pursuit of Raphael Varane by reports that Real Madrid are prepared to sell the centre-back this summer rather than risk losing him on a free transfer.
Varane is out of contract next year and has shown little indication that he wants to extend his decade-long stay at the Bernabeu, alerting Man United to his potential availability, according to The Mirror.
He joined Real for just €10million from relegated Lens back in 2011 and has been a fantastic servant to the club ever since, making 350 appearances in all competitions.
Varane took a while to adapt to the standards expected at Real having arrived as a teenager, but went on to prove himself as one of the world’s best defenders.
He is also one of the game’s most decorated players, having won 18 trophies for Los Blancos, including three La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues.
At international level, he has earned 78 caps for France and was a key part of the team that won the 2018 World Cup under Didier Deschamps.
At 27, he has a wealth of top-level experience for club and country, as well as plenty of time still on his side to contribute to a new club.
Man United are known to be in the market for a centre-back to pair with captain Harry Maguire as Victor Lindelof has failed to assert himself in the heart of their defence.
They have been linked with Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly, Sevilla’s Jules Kounde and Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings amongst others over the last year or so.
Although Zinedine Zidane would prefer to keep Varane at Real long-term, he has accepted that it would represent bad business to see him leave for nothing next summer.
