Should Man Utd accept Real Madrid's €50m asking price for Varane?

Stefan Bienkowski

Updated: 23 May 2023 08:48 CDT
3 min read

Three reasons why Rafael Varane could end up at Man Utd this summer — © ProShots

Manchester United are on the verge of signing central defender Raphael Varane from Real Madrid.

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According to reports in Spain on Saturday, the Old Trafford club have agreed to pay around €50 million for the France international in a bid to finally find a suitable partner to play alongside Harry Maguire.

Further reports on Sunday suggested United had "blown Real Madrid out the water with their huge contract offer" for Varane which could pay him around €12m per year, which is €5m more than the Spanish club are prepared to pay.

United are therefore close to agreeing personal terms with Varane's representatives.

The Old Trafford club have already begun building for next season with the imminent arrival of Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth no less than £72 million. But the young winger won’t be enough.

As such, it now seems as though the Premier League giants will welcome a new defender to the club alongside their tricky winger.

But is the price quoted in the Spanish reports a fair reflection of Varane's current value?

© ProShots - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs another central defender this summer

How much is Varane really worth?

At this moment in time our figures price the France international at around €66.5 million, so on paper a deal of around €50m would technically mean Man Utd are paying under the going rate for a player like Varane.

However, there are a few factors that are worth keeping in mind and really should impact on the player’s real value in the coming months.

For a star, Varane’s current deal at Madrid is set to expire in 2022. Which means Man Utd would technically be able to agree a deal with him in January and sign him for free next summer.

As well as that, reports in Spain have suggested for some time that the senior defender has no intention of renewing his current contract.

As such, whatever the club are demanding this summer is basically a fee to push Varane’s proposed move to Man Utd forward 12 months. And whether having the player for this coming season rather than in a year’s time really comes down to how much money the Old Trafford club have to spend.