Man United to battle Chelsea and PSG for Raphael Varane | OneFootball

Transfer News: Manchester United in a three-way tussle to land Raphael Varane

According to transfer news from Spanish outlet ABC (h/t Sports Mole), Manchester United are set to battle Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain for Real Madrid star Raphael Varane.

The Spanish giants are in a position of bother given the Frenchman’s contract situation. With just a year to go on his contract, they are at risk of losing him on a free in 2022. They don’t intend to lose him for no transfer fee and are ready to cash in this summer.

Real are ready to sell the 28-year-old for anywhere between £51.5m and £60m this summer. Despite Varane being in the prime of his career, it can be argued that the Spaniards are demanding top dollar despite their weak hand.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to bring in a centre-half signing to partner with captain Harry Maguire this summer. This should help the Red Devils close the gap on Manchester City at the top of the table.

In Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof and Axel Tuanzebe, United have strength in numbers. However, none of them have so far shown enough to suggest they can form a championship-winning partnership with Maguire.

Varane isn’t just one of the best defenders in the world today but also a winner who has made it a habit of winning trophies. This experience and know-how will be a massive addition to a United side seeking to re-establish themselves amongst the elite.

No position of strength?

A deal for Varane will, however, not be straightforward. This is thanks to the interest shown by both Chelsea and PSG. Both teams are arguably in a better position than us at this point in time and can theoretically match whatever wages we may choose to offer.

Who comes out on top will be clear once the summer’s Euros comes to an end. France are one of the favourites for the title and could go all the way.

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Maguire’s absence in the UEFA Europa League final defeat to Villarreal highlighted how the other defenders at the club aren’t up to the required standard. It is now over a season since we have started looking for a new defender. Not addressing it this time around will see us once again take the slippery path we have gotten accustomed to.