Raphael Varane in Man Utd’s sights again after Ed Woodward chat and Phil Jones transfer
Phil Jones #PhilJones
Manchester United’s defensive vulnerabilities were horribly exposed in Thursday’s 4-2 home defeat against Liverpool.
It was the first Premier League match in two years that United lined up without their captain Harry Maguire, with the partnership between Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof deeply unconvincing.
Thankfully for United, Maguire’s absence comes at a time when a top four spot has been confirmed and comes at a time when the club are intensifying their plans for the summer transfer window with that performance a sharp reminder that strong and sensible recruitment is needed if they are to challenge for a title next season.
Whilst the positions of a right-sided forward and holding midfield are likely to be priorities at Old Trafford this summer, signing a new long-term defensive partner for Maguire is also a requirement for the recruitment department.
The centre of defence has been a long-term problem area for the club; the Bailly and Lindelof partnership was deployed in the 2018-19 season – prior to Maguire’s arrival – with United shipping 54 goals that campaign, more than 10 other Premier League sides.
Then-boss Jose Mourinho had a high-profile fallout with the board for their refusal to invest in that position in the summer of 2018.
The club’s CEO Ed Woodward had an informal discussion with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez over breakfast that summer, in which he spoke of his admiration for Raphael Varane – but was informed that a move would not be possible.
Woodward was not the first high-profile United figure to court the Frenchman: seven years earlier, the club had made a concentrated effort to sign him from Ligue 1 club Lens where he had enjoyed a breakthrough season.
However, Zinedine Zidane was sporting director of Madrid at the time and his involvement was enough to clinch the move and leave United moving instead to sign Phil Jones from Blackburn.
It is the long-running courtship of the player that may help United in their attempts to land Varane this summer – a demonstration that their admiration and respect for his abilities is not just based on their current needs.
The prevalent reason why the Frenchman is now a realistic target this year as opposed to previous years is that he is out of contract in the Spanish capital next summer and a multitude of reports from Spain outline how he is resistant to renewing his deal.
Video: Cavani Extends Deal With Man United (The Independent)
Cavani Extends Deal With Man United
SHARE
SHARE
TWEET
SHARE
Click to expand
UP NEXT
Now aged 27, it is said that Varane believes he has been undervalued by Madrid in comparison to some of his teammates and believes he is deserving of a higher salary.
The economic situation at Los Blancos is a concern – extensive renovation works to their Santiago Bernabeu stadium has coincided with the economic ramifications of the pandemic, meaning that debts have built up and the club are not as financially strong as in previous years.
Real Madrid have not made any first-team signings in two years and now have a threadbare squad – any new contracts are subject to a 10 percent pay reduction, which helps explains why Sergio Ramos is yet to extend his deal going into the final six weeks before it expires.
The Spanish champions have also moved to sign David Alaba from Bayern Munich this summer, while the fine form of Eder Militao and Nacho Fernandez in recent weeks – coinciding with injury lay-offs for Varane and Ramos – meaning that the Frenchman is not viewed as irreplaceable to the level he had been viewed in recent years.
Now aged 28, this is likely to be Varane’s final chance to earn a big move away from Real Madrid whilst the club can still receive a sizable transfer fee.
His 10-year career at the club has encompassed 359 appearances and 18 trophies, including three La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns.
The central defender also remains a pivotal figure for France, for whom he played in every single minute of all seven matches in their victorious 2018 World Cup campaign.
Varane combines supreme technical ability with an impressive physique – standing at 1.91m, he possesses a sharp turn of pace and possesses calmness that transmits to those around him.
He has been an ideal partner for the more combustible and high-energy Ramos, while his speed and technique would complement Maguire in the defence.
Well established as one of the world’s most accomplished defenders, Varane has enjoyed a largely error-free career but he did struggle in his side’s Champions League elimination against Manchester City last year.
He struggled against the high press from City and was forced into individual errors – but this was notable due to the rarity of it.
Indeed, Varane’s Real Madrid career has been defined by its absence of drama and talking points.
This is in stark contrast to Ramos, who has scored 101 times for the club and picked up 26 red cards – remarkable numbers. Varane has netted a respectable 15 goals for Madrid and been sent off only twice, highlighting a key difference between the two even if Ramos has been at the club for six years more.
Ramos is the all-action, talismanic central defender whose brilliance and flaws are notable frequently while Varane is the lower key of the two, consistently impressive without ever being involved in match highlights.
United need a high-level central defender this summer who is comfortable at playing the ball out from the back, who possesses pace on the turn and who is dominant in the air – with Varane ticking all the boxes.
He is also in the 23-28 age bracket which the club are targeting for first-team investment, and Real Madrid’s financial situation may finally open a door that United have been knocking for the past decade.