Real Madrid have reportedly given Raphael Varane’s agent approval to hold discussions with Manchester United.
After securing a £73.1m deal to sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund on Thursday, the Red devils are now focusing on recruiting a new central defender to bolster Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s options.
Varane is Solskjaer’s preferred option, although Villarreal’s Pau Torres is also on club’s shortlist if an agreement for the Frenchman cannot be reached.
But according to Marca, the La Liga giants have now accepted that Varane will not sign an extension to his current contract, which expires next summer, and they are now actively looking to sell the player.
The report claims that Madrid would be open to an offer of £43m and they have already authorised Varane’s agent to negotiate directly with United over the potential deal.
Meanwhile, Spanish newspaper AS claim that Carlo Ancelotti has spoken to Varane in an attempt to convince the him to stay at Madrid.
But Madrid now face the possibility of losing both Varane and Sergio Ramos in the same summer window.
Ramos, who failed to sign a new deal in his final few months at the Santiago Bernabeu, is now expected to move to Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.
United, meanwhile, are also looking to sign a defensive midfielder before the end of this summer transfer window.
Declan Rice, who has reportedly rejected a contract offer from West Ham, is also on Solskjaer’s shortlist but the midfielder is also wanted by Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea.
