Bayern Munich are reportedly looking to sign Manchester United’s Raphael Varane in the coming transfer windows.
The French defender joined Manchester United after a hugely successful stint in Spain with Real Madrid. As the centre back partner of the legendary Sergio Ramos for many years, he became known as one of the best defenders in the world, racking up trophies and accolades, including the 2018 FIFA World Cup with France.
It is that pedigree that got him a move to England in 2021 alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Jason Sancho. The latter two have since been phased out of the club. Now, Varane’s time seems to be over too.
The Frenchman has fallen out of favour and is now the third choice centreback for Erik ten Hag. Fitness issues contributed to his plunging down the ranks at the club but in that time, others have stepped up to the plate to become hard to drop.
Talk about his future has taken over the media in recent times as a result. Bayern Munich are now in the news as the first big club to show interest.
According to Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, the Rekordmeister are discussing a January move for Varane, 30. Bayern already employs Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-jae, Matthijs De Ligt and Tarek Buchmann as centrebacks.
De Ligt is currently out injured with a torn knee ligament which could keep him on the sidelines for most of the season. This is where the signing of Varane comes in, as the winter transfer window signifies the start of the business end of the football season.
Plettenberg suggests that Varane’s signing is not going to be a loan signing even though it was conceived for the purposes of providing cover for the injured Dutchman. A transfer fee of around £26.3 million is what the club believes they will need to convince the multiple UEFA Champions League winner to move to Germany.
His £14.9 million salary, however, is the only thing stalling the decision making.
Bayern, meanwhile, are on the verge of losing Leroy Sané.
Leroy Sané has a contract that runs out in 2025 and is currently holding off talks to extend it beyond that time. He will be available for a reasonable sum in the 2024/25 season, which could be his last if he fails to reach an agreement with Bayern.
The Germans are not willing to let him go but they will now have to deal with pressure from Manchester City and Liverpool, who have positioned themselves as potential destinations for Sané if he chooses to leave the Allianz Arena.
