Manchester United have been targeting a summer move for Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane and according to Spanish news outlet, Dario Gol, Florentino Perez might agree to sell the player if a favourable bid of €60m is put up by Jose Mourinho.
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 Old Trafford.
Varane is one of those ridiculously athletic figures in the game who could do a bit of everything. At 1.91m (6 feet 3 inches), he already has a leap which is comparable to one of the best in the game, Cristiano Ronaldo. Varane is also one of the quickest players on the pitch despite being a centre-half. He made his debut in the 2012/13 season against Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey and after scoring, became the youngest foreign player to ever do so in the Santiago Bernabeu.
Manchester United are undergoing major defensive problems with both Chris Smalling and Phil Jones struggling to meet the standards of the title chasers. Ever since Eric Baily went down to an injury, the defensive backline has looked less than impressive. While the offensive line is close to being complete after the arrival of Alexis Sanchez, Mourinho will be prioritizing defensive bolstering ahead of the 2018/19 campaign and Varane can be the ideal man to start with.
However, Varane’s exit will leave a massive gap in Los Blancos defence. With Sergio Ramos, Nacho Fernandez and Jesus Vallejo as the only first-team choices, Zidane will have to bring in a world-class talent.
Here are a few candidates the Frenchman should consider.
Toby Alderweireld
Real Madrid has been linked with this out of favour Tottenham Hotspur centre-back.The 28-year-old has not extended his contract beyond the summer of 2019, even though his current deal can be prolonged for another year. If the option is exercised by Tottenham, a £25m release clause will be activated in June 2019. Tottenham are worried about losing him either for free or on the cheap and they might be forced to let him go next summer to prevent a significant loss.
Leonardo Bonucci
The Italian international’s debut season with AC Milan has not gone according to plans with the club now struggling to earn a European qualification spot. Quitting Juventus turned out to be a poor decision and a call-up from the reigning European champions will be a major boost in his career.
David Luiz
The Chelsea man is not even considered as a sporadic option by Antonio Conte. Andreas Christiansen has taken over his spot in the first team and talks of a possible club exit has been speculated upon since the January window.
