Knocked out of the Euros by Switzerland, the France squad are currently on holiday ahead of returning to their clubs for pre-season.
Among those is Raphaël Varane, who is currently contracted to Real Madrid, but only has one year left on his contract there, attracting interest from the likes of Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain in the process.
The latter of the two, however, are on the verge of signing Sergio Ramos on a free, suggesting their defensive reinforcements could be done for the summer in the centre-back position.
Varane, for his part, ‘has not yet decided if he wants to continue’ at Real Madrid beyond his current deal, and those in charge of transfers at the La Liga giants are ‘analysing a possible sale’, according to El Mundo.
The Frenchman has reportedly ‘been reflecting on his future for months and has not finished’ doing so, with it made clear that Zinedine Zidane’s departure ‘weighs on his decision’, as does that of Sergio Ramos.
Now the most experienced centre-back at the club, the player has a decision to make, and those close to him have told the newspaper ‘money is not key in the decision of the French defender’, who is looking for a new challenge.
Of all the interested parties, Manchester United ‘are the main interested’, and they are reportedly ‘preparing a €50m offer for Varane’ after spending upwards of €70m on Jadon Sancho.
That figure is described as ‘interesting’ for the transfer people at Real Madrid, ‘who will ask for that amount as a minimum’ from the Red Devils or anyone else.
El Mundo have been told ‘anything can happen’, and those close to the deal dispelled claims from England that a deal to Old Trafford was close, because ‘nothing has been decided and there are still possibilities’ that Varane remains at Real Madrid.
Should he decide to not renew, ‘he will leave this summer’, and the Spanish side would then count on their other players, such as Eder Militao, Nacho and new arrival David Alaba.
Good news for Manchester United, although they may need to be a bit more patient.
