Real Madrid thank Raphael Varane for all he’s done at the Santiago Bernabeu and bid farewell | OneFootball

Manchester United have confirmed in an official statement that the club have reached an agreement with Real Madrid to sign French centre-back Raphael Varane. The move is subject to a medical and personal terms being finalised, with United expected to pay a fee in the region of €40m for his services.

It’s been a move that’s been on the cards all summer. Varane, at 28, is at a crossroads in his career, and decided that after a hugely successful decade in the Spanish capital the time had come to try something new. United, keen to reinforce their squad to build a team capable of winning titles, was the perfect project.

Madrid confirmed the news in a statement of their own, thanking Varane for the professionalism and exemplary conduct the Frenchman showed during his ten seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu and wishing him the best of luck for his new chapter. Varane won 18 titles with Madrid; four Champions Leagues, four Club World Cups, three European Super Cups, three La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey and three Supercopa de Espana titles.

Varane is the second centre-back to leave Madrid this summer after his long-term partner Sergio Ramos, who’s joined Paris Saint-Germain. Madrid have brought in David Alaba on a free transfer from Bayern Munich, but it’s yet to be known whether they’ll go to the market to recruit another centre-back or start the season with Eder Militao as Alaba’s partner.