Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho is expected to be a busy man this summer as he continues to look for ways to strengthen his squad ahead of next season.
The Portuguese tactician has already snapped up defender Eric Bailly from Villarreal, while he is also expected to finally wrap up a deal for Zlatan Ibrahimovic by the end of the week.
However, that is far from his business being concluded for the summer, with Real Madrid defender Rafael Varane the next player on his list.
According to The Sun, he may well have received a major boost in his pursuit of the French international too, with suggestions that Real have decided to sell as they plan a clear-out of sort at the Bernabeu this summer.
Mourinho is said to still be a keen admirer of the 23-year-old following their time working together in the Spanish capital, and he will see him as an important addition to his squad to add solidity at the heart of his defence.
Varane, who is currently injured and was forced to miss Euro 2016, has grown frustrated with his lack of playing time at Real, with both Sergio Ramos and Pepe being preferred by Rafael Benitez and Zinedine Zidane last season
The Sun suggest that a fee around £30m would be enough for United to prise the Frenchman away from the La Liga giants, and so it’s certainly proving to be an expensive summer for the Red Devils.
Nevertheless, many will argue that they needed reinforcements, particularly having now changed managers again with Mourinho desperately needing to add his own players to the squad in order to deploy his preferred system and style of play.
Varane will be a major boost to their hopes of competing for the Premier League title next season, and given his age, he has many years at the top ahead of him.