Bayern plot sensational swoop for Man Utd superstar
Tom Weber
- Updated: 20 Nov 2023 19:27 GMT
- 3 min read
Raphael Varane is facing an uncertain future as January approaches and Bayern Munich have now emerged as a surprise suitor.
Quite incredibly, the World Cup winner has seen his game time at Manchester United diminish recently, with Erik ten Hag favouring the likes of Jonny Evans, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof over the injury-prone Frenchman.
Rio Ferdinand recently quipped that Varane's head must be scrambled at the fact that he has lost his place to 35-year-old Evans, but there is some truth in that this is surely not helping United if they wish to keep him beyond January.
The 30-year-old is once again being heavily courted by Saudi suitors and there is a very real possibility that he will depart in the winter. Varane was eyed by reigning Pro League champions Al-Ittihad in the summer, but neither United nor the player were interested then.
But the mood has significantly shifted at the club. The dire start to the season has made it obvious that reinforcements need to be brought in and selling Varane could help fund the acquisition of a new player, particularly the new centre-back Erik ten Hag has wanted since the summer.
Bayern enter the race
Varane doesn't only have suitors in Saudi Arabia, however. According to a fresh report from Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg, Bayern Munich are seriously studying the feasibility of pursuing a deal for the ex-Real Madrid star.
"Internally, FC Bayern have considered the 30 y/o. Discussions took place. Internal opinion: interesting but currently unrealistic because of his salary. It's not a hot topic yet, but he remains under observation in the next weeks," the journalist wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
He went on to say that Bayern have been informed of his potential availability and that he could be had for a relatively affordable €20-30 million. His massive salary in excess of €17m is the main stumbling block at this stage.
