The big Manchester United news today is of course the club agreeing a deal with Borussia Dortmund for the transfer of Jadon Sancho.
After, frankly, one of the most irritating transfer sagas in memory, which was no fault of the player, the move looks like it should be finalised over the next week or so.
Attention will then turn to what happens next at Old Trafford and which players could be following the England international to the club.
After Sancho, the player linked most with Manchester United this summer has been Raphael Varane. The Frenchman’s Real Madrid contract expires in less than a year and that naturally presents questions about his future.
After months of claims from the Spanish press about interest from the Red Devils, the English media recently got involved too.
Over in Spain, there’s an insistence it’s now decision time for the defender. France are out of Euro 2020, Real Madrid have made multiple renewal approaches, and now he needs to decide whether his future is at Los Blancos, or at Manchester United or another interested club.
Thursday’s edition of Mundo Deportivo says Madrid are ‘still waiting for an answer’ from Varane. He ‘must soon announce’ what his desire is this summer.
For Madrid, there’s only two options: Renew or be sold.
There’s no intention of allowing Varane to run down his contract and potentially leave as a free agent.
The newspaper states ‘the calendar does not wait for anyone and neither does Real Madrid’, and the message to Varane is clear: Either he makes his mind up quickly, or the Spanish club will do it for him, and take steps to negotiate a sale.
That will likely depend on how convincing Manchester United can be.
