Manchester United are struggling defensively with their main centre-half, Eric Bailly who is currently serving a long-term spell on the sidelines. The dual pair of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones has looked less than impressive in recent weeks and Jose Mourinho is already planning to sign replacements in the summer.
Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane has been targeted by the former Galactico manager and United are ready to break the bank to get him. It was under Mourinho, where Varane got the opportunity to showcase his talents in the prestigious grounds of Santiago Bernabeu. Varane slowly worked his way into the starting lineup after impressing in each and every one of his appearances. The Portuguese tactician holds him to high regards and clearly wants to reunite with him at Manchester.
Standing at 6 feet 3 inches tall, Varane is a towering figure with ridiculous athletic abilities. Centre-halves are not always synonymous with pace and yet Varane is one of the rare cases who will leave you in the dust once he sets off. He made his El Clasico debut back in the 2012/13 Copa Del Rey and stopped Barcelona’s domineering offensive line from getting ahead of them. He scored a goal in the match and became the second youngest foreign player to do so in a Madrid jersey.
His maturity and composure at such a young age are some of the redeeming qualities that have seen him flourish for the European champions. He came to the Bernabeu back in the summer of 2011 and was acquainted with both Jose Mourinho and Zinedine Zidane.
Zidane has the rise of the 24-year-old firsthand and admires him highly. Varane’s partnership with Sergio Ramos has seen the side strap up the Madrid backline and win two consecutive UEFA Champions League titles, 2 La Liga titles and 1 Copa Del Rey trophy.
The former Lens defender is still an integral part of the Los Blancos squad having featured in 26 games this season across all competitions. With Real’s struggles to put in a run of wins in the league, it is a far possibility that Zidane will agree to sell off one of the club’s key players.
However, the Madrid manager’s own job is at peril and this might open up the possibility of Varane finding a club with a man in charge who is his admirer. More unlikely transfers have taken place in the past and we might just have to wait and see if this one gets through the channels. The prospects of the Premier League does not sound too bad for a young player and now that United are again competing on the European stage, maybe Varane is better off making the switch.
