Manchester United
Premier League • England
Man Utd officially confirm axe of £340k a week star with Ratcliffe already settled on successor
Raphael Varane will leave Man Utd this summer
Manchester United have officially confirmed that Raphael Varane is set to leave Old Trafford as a free agent when his deal expires at the end of June.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is planning to cut several players from his squad this summer as he looks to make room for new additions and the Frenchman has never been part of his long-term plans.
There was plenty of hype when Man Utd signed Varane from Real Madrid for £42m (incl. add-ons) in 2021 but he has never really reached the levels he did at the Bernabeu in the Premier League.
He’s made a total of 93 games for the Red Devils, scoring two goals in the process, and will likely be unavailable for the remainder of this season due to a muscle injury.
Varane may well miss Man Utd’s FA Cup final against Manchester City and he is now focused on securing his next move.
As previously reported by TEAMtalk, several sides from the Saudi Pro League are interested in signing Varane, along with clubs from MLS.
Given his eye-watering wages of £340,000 per week with the Red Devils, a move to the Gulf State seems the most likely outcome for the 31-year-old.
Man Utd step up Raphael Varane replacement hunt
Getting Varane off the books will give Man Utd some more financial wiggle room for new signings in the upcoming summer window.
With Jonny Evans also out of contract in June and the futures of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof in doubt, signing a new centre-back is a priority for the Red Devils.
Ratcliffe is keen to make Old Trafford the best place in the world to develop hot prospects and therefore Ratcliffe will focus on signing a top young centre-back.
As we have consistently reported, Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite is at the top of Man Utd’s shortlist and there’s a good chance he’ll be on the move this summer.
He has been one of the Toffees’ standout performers this season and earned his first call-up to the England squad in March.
Due to Everton’s ongoing financial issues, they’ll likely have to sell at least one key player this summer in order to balance the books and avoid another breach of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.
As a result, they will listen to offers for Branthwaite and are looking to receive a fee in excess of £70m.
Man Utd have a number of other defenders on their radar including Juventus’ Gleison Bremer, Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo, Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi, Lille’s Leny Yoro.
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