SUMMARY
- Manchester United recently revealed that Raphael Varane will be out of action for a few weeks due to a muscle injury.
- Raphael Varane Joined Manchester United in 2021, his stint has been filled with worries of injury and subpar performance.
Raphael Varane has had a very troubling time at Manchester United. The 30-year-old had joined ‘The Red Devils’ in 2021 with much hope and was expected to provide some stability to the leaky defense of the English club.
But the exact opposite has happened, with fans turning against the Frenchman due to his below-par performances. The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has also been worried by injury concerns which has hampered the 30-year-old’s form in recent years.
🚨 Raphael Varane’s time at Manchester United appears set to end this summer with the club not prepared to offer him a contract extension on his current salary.
(Source: @MailSport) pic.twitter.com/4KdjIgCQ1Q
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) April 13, 2024
Manchester United had announced that Raphael Varane will be sidelined again for a few weeks due to a muscle injury alongside Johny Evans. And amidst this, some startling news has arrived that threatens Raphael Varane’s Manchester United career.
The Frenchman’s contract with the 20-time Premier League winners is set to expire in the summer of 2024. And given Raphael Varane’s inconsistency, it is reported that Manchester United won’t be giving him a contract extension.
The Frenchman earns around $420,000 a week salary at United, and the club would want to free the wage bill. Coach Erik ten Hag too must be very annoyed with the frequent unavailability of Raphael Varane and would like to give more preference to younger talents.
Real Madrid plots a shocking move for Raphael Varane
Since Raphael Varane won’t be taking a pay cut, it is likely that the Frenchman will explore opportunities elsewhere. And surprisingly one of Raphael’s former clubs has shown interest in him.
Reportedly, Spanish giants Real Madrid are thinking about a summer swoop for the Frenchman. ‘Los Blancos’ currently have a very shallow depth in terms of defenders and signing Raphael Varane would prevent the club from facing an injury crisis similar to the 23/24 season.
🚨 Raphael Varane is being lined up for a shock return transfer to Real Madrid.
(Source: Cadena SER) pic.twitter.com/qA9EStM8Sk
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) December 21, 2023
Raphael had notched up 360 appearances for ‘Los Blancos’ before leaving for Manchester United. The Frenchman won 4 UEFA Champions League and 3 La Liga titles amongst many other titles in a glorious career for Real Madrid.
Record German champions FC Bayern Munich too could be a potential suitor for the Frenchman. It is reported that the Bavarian club was willing to pay around €20 million ($21.3 million) for him during the winter transfer window of 2024. FC Bayern Munich could make another attempt to sign Raphael Varane after his contract with Man Utd expires in the summer of 2024.
Manchester United are already looking for the Frenchman’s replacements
As mentioned earlier, ‘The Red Devils’ are looking in the market for young and fresh talents for their defense. Two names have thus popped out for the United board, who are attracting a lot of interest across Europe.
Leny Yoro is the first name on the Manchester United shortlist. The Lille defender has been one of the best defenders in the 23/24 season and is on the wishlist of many clubs.
Manchester United’s defense is quite old, considering the ages of Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, and Johny Evans who are all in their 30s. The only young center-back of ‘The Red Devils’, Lisandro Martinez too has been constantly injured in the 23/24 season.
🚨 Manchester City and Manchester United have made moves for Lille’s 18-year-old defender Leny Yoro, who has a contract until 2025. 🇫🇷
(Source: Le10 Sport) pic.twitter.com/6xpybKHlfi
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) December 7, 2023
The 18-year-old Leny Yoro thus can be a perfect answer to all of Manchester United’s problems. The Frenchman is quite comfortable with the ball at his feet and is quite pacy with his recovery runs. However, Manchester United will face tough competition from Real Madrid, who are seriously interested in the Frenchman.
In addition to Leny, Manchester United is also monitoring Goncalo Inacio from Sporting CP. Manchester United will have to dig deep into their pockets, as the Portuguese have a release clause of around £52 million ($64 million) into his Sporting CP contract. Moreover, PL clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool too are likely to make a move for the Portuguese.
It is thus clear that Manchester United want to seriously move on from Raphael Varane. However, his replacements would be tough to come by due to the high demand for young center-backs in Europe.