Man Utd are prepared to include Donny van de Beek or Paul Pogba in a potential deal to sign Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane, according to reports.
A journalist claimed on Sunday that a deal was ‘very close’ for Varane, while another report on Saturday said that Real Madrid had given him the ‘green light’ to discuss a move away from the Bernabeu.
There still seems to be a bit of back and forth over the transfer fee with Man Utd looking to avoid paying ‘more than €45m’ with Varane’s contract due to expire next summer.
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And now journalist Duncan Castles claims Man Utd could look to include Pogba – who the Red Devils signed from Juventus for £89m in 2016 – or his team-mate Van de Beek in any transfer for Varane.
Van de Beek joined the Red Devils last summer in a £35m deal from Ajax but he only made four Premier League starts last term.
Castles told The Transfer Window podcast (via the Daily Express): “Varane wants to be paid at the same level as [David] Alaba [€10m per year net]. He feels like he has been underpaid in terms of his contribution and longevity at the club [Real Madrid].
“Now he has got himself in a position where he has the leverage to extract a good deal from a club whether he stays at Real Madrid or moves to the Premier League.
“There is a very strong interest from Manchester United – that’s correct. He’s a player they’ve pursued since he was in French football and they’ve had several goes [at signing him].
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“Subsequently, they also see the opportunity to complete that deal but they’re aware it won’t be cheap.
“Florentino Perez was initially indicating a deal of €65m should he have to sell Varane. There is a feeling it might have to come down to €50m.
“There is a possibility of rolling players into the deal in the case of Manchester United. Donny van de Beek is an option seeing as Real Madrid wanted to sign him before he moved to Manchester United.
“Paul Pogba is an alternative option and a player who would like to go to Real Madrid.
“It’s still expensive as a transfer deal even if it’s half of what they paid for Harry Maguire [with] the overall package and the salary.
“It’s an expensive deal regardless of the discount on the transfer fee.”