Manchester United have opened negotiations with Real Madrid star Raphael Varane over a £100m switch to Old Trafford.
The French defender, who joined Los Blancos over Red Devils in 2011 after an intervention from his compatriot Zinedine Zidane, is said to be keen on departing the Santiago Bernabeu to seek a fresh challenge.
Manchester United’s hierarchy vetoed moves for Godin and Boateng last summer against the wishes of former manager Jose Mourinho as the board wanted to pursue a long-term solution to the problems in central defence.
The club briefed the previous summer that they would be prepared to surpass the £75 million league rivals Liverpool spent on Virgil van Dijk for the right centre-half and Varane is considered the ideal choice.
Real manager has expressed the desire publicly that he wants to retain Varane’s services but Real Madrid are set for a summer rebuild and need cash to fund swoops for Eden Hazard and one of Neymar or Kylian Mbappe.
That has opened up an opportunity for Manchester United and the Independent state that the Red Devils have made a contact with Raphael to discuss a move.
World Cup winner is likely to cost more than £100m – a club record sum that would surpass the £89 million paid for Paul Pogba.
In spite of publicly dismissing interest in Raphael, Real Madrid are said to be open to the idea of selling the defender and have not turned down the enquiries for him.
Manchester United will hand Ole significant funds to spend in summer but the level of his kitty is dependent on the club’s qualification for the UEFA Champions League.