Manchester United have reportedly decided not to trigger the option to extend Raphael Varane’s contract by a further year, which potentially means he’s now cleared to hold talks with other clubs.
From tomorrow, Varane is technically allowed to start negotiating a move abroad, though it seems he’s happy at Old Trafford and there is some desire from Man Utd to get him to stay on reduced wages, according to the Daily Mail.
The report adds that Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have shown an interest in Varane in recent times, but it remains to be seen how likely it is that he’ll actually move on, or if he’ll even start discussing a move for next season as early as next month.
Still, Varane has now been cleared to do that if he wants to, so this seems like a saga well worth keeping a close eye on in the coming weeks.
It would be fair to say that few United fans would be too disappointed with the France international moving on, as he’s not been quite at the peak of his powers for most of his time in Manchester.
That said, Varane has great quality and experience at the highest level, so it might be worth keeping hold of him for a bit longer, unless the club are confident they could quickly bring in a top-quality replacement.