Manchester United are closer to signing Raphael Varane and the player has made it clear he is not using the Premier League club to land a bigger contract with Real Madrid, according to reports.
United have already agreed a £72.9m deal with Dortmund for Jadon Sancho this summer and have now turned their attention to signing a new defender to partner Harry Maguire.
Varane – who is out of contract with Real Madrid next summer – has long been their number one target, though there were concerns over the logistics of any deal.
But now Spanish radio show El Transistor on Onda Cero claim Varane’s move to United is a virtual formality and his representatives are already deep in talks with the Red devils.
The club’s hierarchy had been wary of pursuing a deal for the Frenchman in case they suffered a repeat of their saga with Sergio Ramos in 2015, when the then Real captain used United’s interest to land a new deal at the Bernabeu.
But El Transistor claim Varane has allayed any fears and ruled out signing a new deal with Real, instead wanting to have a new challenge in England.
There is still serious work to be done on a deal, but United will lodge their first transfer bid in the coming days with Madrid reported to be willing to sell the centre-back for around £40m.
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That would represent a huge bargain for a player who is still 28 years old and has won the UEFA Champions League four times, with Real unwilling to risk losing him for free when his contract expires next year.
Despite losing Ramos to PSG, the Spanish club still need to cut their wage bill and raise funds for new signings, although they have three good options at centre-back if Varane leaves: Eder Militao, Nacho and David Alaba.
With France having been knocked out of the European Championships in the round of 16, Varane is due to report to pre-season training with Real Madrid next week and is said to want his future resolved before them.
