Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane has been tipped to move out of the club during the summer transfer with clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea seemingly interested in signing him.
The defender has one more year left on his current deal with Madrid and there’s a big chance he will not be signing a new contract meaning the Los Blancos will have to either cash in on him this summer or risk losing him for free next year.
And according to former Real Madrid star Steve McManaman, this situation could be ideal for clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea to try and strike a bargain deal for the 28-year-old Frenchman.
McManaman said, as quoted by Express: “I think Rafa’s at the right age to come into the Premier League. He’s got a year left of his contract in Madrid, with Real said to want between €40m and €60m to let him go.
“If Real Madrid want to sell, there’s probably a deal to be done but he’s at a decent enough age [28 years old] and can still play for a long time. I know he hasn’t played recently and he’s had a few injuries this year, but his form’s been relatively good.
“And he’s won everything: the World Cup, numerous Champions Leagues.
“Virgil van Dijk was a lot of money. Harry Maguire, who’s done really well for Man Utd, was a lot of money.
“I don’t know what kind of money you would ask for Raphael Varane, but because he’s got a year left on his current contract, if you could get him for €40m or €50m in the current market, when you see similar players’ value, his record the way he plays, the teams he’s played for, you’d think he’d be the type of player people would look at.”
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Raphael Varane had recently claimed that his full focus was on finishing the season with Real Madrid but there’s no denying that he is not happy with life at the club and could look for a fresh challenge in the summer.
The Premier League will be the ideal destination for a player like him and both Chelsea as well as Manchester United can offer him regular starting roles as well as Champions League football.
No club will want to let such a key player leave for cheap but as Steve said, Real Madrid cannot jack up the price too high since Raphael Varane has only one year left on his deal.
The interested clubs clearly have the upper hand in this deal and there’s a very realistic chance that the World Cup winner could be up for grabs at a fee of around €55-60 million.
