Man Utd to free €400,000 per week star along with Martial

Robin Bairner

• 12 Apr 2024 06:55 BST
• 8 min read

Manchester United are set to cut their losses with a second player who will join Anthony Martial in leaving the club at the end of his contract in the summer.

A massive overhaul of the playing staff at Man Utd is expected to take place, one so large that it will likely take two or even three transfer windows to complete. The aim of Sir Jim Ratcliffe is to flush out a squad that is simply not strong enough to compete at the top of the Premier League table.

Martial, who is presently out injured, is one of those who will be allowed to leave while Raphael Varane will be allowed to follow.

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The 2018 World Cup winner does have the option of an additional year at Old Trafford, but Man Utd are set to ignore this and allow the Frenchman to depart in the summer. They judge that he is poor value for his €400,000 per week (£340,000) salary, the Daily Mail claims.

Only Casemiro earns a bigger wage currently at the club, with the Brazilian taking €11,700 more per week.

Varane, who has previously turned out for Lens and Real Madrid, is out injured for “a few weeks”, according to the club. He has a muscle injury that will prevent him from making the trip to Bournemouth on Saturday – a match that Jonny Evans and Scott McTominay will also miss.

The 30-year-old is aiming to return before the end of the season but will also miss the FA Cup semi-final.

Varane has been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League in the summer.

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Varane’s sharp decline

Varane’s performance this season places him close to the top third of centre-backs in the Premier League, according to SciSports.

While he has ranked well in terms of his positioning and ball retention, the data analytics experts question his ability to recover possession. Varane ranks among the weakest in the Premier League in this area.

His overall ability, meanwhile, has depreciated sharply over the course of the last six months, with SciSports noting a “significant decline” in his performance. Varane still merits a first-team start for the Red Devils, but it may be that by the time next season begins, he falls out of that bracket.

READ MORE: Man Utd to offload FIVE big-name stars in summer shakeup

On a lavish wage, the decision to release him seems like a logical step from Man Utd’s new footballing structure, showing that they are prepared to be proactive in dealing with problems and not waiting until they arise.

As well as Varane and Martial, there has also been a suggestion that Man Utd may need to negotiate the end of Donny van de Beek’s contract, which could also see him leave on a free transfer.