Manchester United look set to follow their signing of Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund with another dip into the summer window for a new centre-half.
The man identified as the Red Devils’ key target in that department, according to numerous reports, is Raphael Varane.
According to Sport (via Sport Witness), Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side’s £73m move for the aforementioned Bundesliga star has left them with a limited remaining budget to play with, which could prevent a move being agreed for the Real Madrid star.
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The publication claim that United won’t be able to spend more than €45m on the Frenchman, though that a deal closer to €50m could be reached between them and the La Liga outfit given that the defender’s contract is set to expire next summer.
Unless Carlo Ancelotti’s men are prepared to take a considerable loss next year and allow the 28-year-old to depart on a free, one might reasonably expect that the Manchester-based club will be in the driving seat when it comes to setting a price for the centre-half’s services.
Lacking a strong core defensive partnership, the addition of Varane to the side’s starting lineup would be a huge boost ahead of Solskjaer’s potentially most important campaign yet, as United look to close the gap to their city rivals in the Premier League.