Real Madrid demand record fee for Varane following £50m bid by Man United | OneFootball

Real Madrid demand £80m from Manchester United for Raphael Varane

According to The Express, Manchester United have been dealt a blow in their efforts to land Real Madrid star Raphael Varane.

The Red Devils made an offer of £50million for the 28-year-old only for Real Madrid to reject it. The Spaniards are now demanding an enormous £80m to part with their star man. Meeting it will make the joint most expensive central defender in football history alongside United skipper Harry Maguire.

United for their part remains confident they can land their man despite the setback. Varane has just over a year to go on his current deal and Real risk losing him for a free next year.

Real dominated European football for the better part of the last decade with a defensive pairing of Varane and Sergio Ramos. The latter is set to leave on a free this summer and it remains to be seen if the former will follow.

Varane is one of the best defenders in world football today. According to the report, he is left unsettled by the departure of manager Zinedine Zidane. Although his replacement, Carlo Ancelotti has an excellent track record, he does not appear to have the best relationship with Varane.

United are also emboldened by the fact that Real are facing a severe cash crunch. The Spanish giants are currently in a debt of €901m and will need to sell before they can buy.

While Varane is one of the world’s best defender, it is ludicrous on Real’s part to demand such a fee for a player in the last year of his contract. Whether it is a negotiating tactic or they are serious about sticking to their asking price remains to be seen.

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to bring in a centre-half signing to partner with captain Harry Maguire this summer.  Whether Varane is that man remains to be seen.