Manchester United knee on signing Raphael Varane as Premier League side create a five-man shortlist following defender’s admission
According to Ben Husband of the Daily Star, Manchester United may be in need of reassessing their options in centre-back targets heading into the summer transfer window.
This comes after Raphael Varane admitted that he is set to stay put at Real Madrid. The Frenchman was one of the prominent names on United’s radar and missing out on him would be a massive blow.
The Red Devils are keen on bringing in a new defender to partner skipper Harry Maguire in defence. A major weakness in the club’s system, it is imperative that they address it in the summer.
The defenders on United’s radar include Pau Torres, Ben White, Jules Kounde, Edmond Tapsoba and Sergio Ramos.
Of them, Torres may well appear to be the most attainable. Not only is he just 24 but is also left-footed, an excellent trait for a team that is aiming to play out from the back.
The Spaniard keeps having conversations with his teammates who have played at other big clubs. It would appear that he appears to be priming himself to move in the summer.
To say that Varane has committed his future to Madrid would be incorrect. While the Frenchman did open up on his future, it did not really clear up where exactly he sees himself next season.
There is little reason to assume the player won’t be on the market in the summer. After all, Florentino Perez did not exude much confidence while talking about the defender’s future.
Varane is clearly the top choice among the players on the Premier League outfit’s radar. While Ramos may have had a more illustrious career but given his advanced age, we will do well to stay clear.
The Frenchman, however, is in his prime and can make an instant impact on a team that is lacking 3-4 key additions.
