The manager of a Champions League club has opened the door for Raphael Varane to sign up, though why a deal for the unhappy Manchester United defender will be difficult to agree has been revealed.
Varane, 30, has not started for Man Utd in the Premier League since September. The four-time Champions League winner has repeatedly been overlooked for selection by Erik ten Hag. Harry Maguire and 35-year-old Jonny Evans were his preferred pairing over the last seven weeks.
But even when Evans missed out against Luton Town after sustaining a thigh injury, Ten Hag turned to Victor Lindelof to partner Maguire, not Varane.
Ten Hag has publicly stated Varane’s demotion down the order is simply due to tactical reasons.
However, numerous sources including our own at TEAMtalk, Sky Germany and The Daily Mail all confirm Varane has not taken kindly to his snub.
Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg labelled Varane “unhappy” with his current status at Old Trafford. The Mail subsequently reported Varane is baffled at being dropped in favour of Evans in particular.
Plettenberg also claimed Man Utd would be willing to greenlight Varane’s exit in January if a bid in the €20m-€30m range is lodged. The reporter also stressed only a permanent exit will suffice, not a loan.
TEAMtalk learned Varane’s camp have already fielded enquiries from Saudi Arabian sides. However, Varane is not overly keen on moving to the middle east and prefers to remain in Europe.
Bayern Munich have registered their interest, though Varane’s colossal £340,000-a-week salary is a huge stumbling block.
Now, in quotes carried by French outlet FootMercato, the manager of Varane’s first professional club has opened the doors to a heart-warming return.
Varane back to France?
Varane was on the books at French side Lens between 2002-11. An impressive first professional season at the club in 2010/11 was enough to convince Real Madrid to swoop where Varane went on to become one of world football’s most dominant centre-halves.
But speaking in a press conference, Lens manager Franck Haise has claimed a return to where it all began is possible for Varane.
“If Raphael wants to come back, he is welcomed with open arms every time,” said Haise. “With a contract, it’s something else (Laughs).
“I read that it was complicated for Bayern Munich to pay his salary. So if it’s complicated for Bayern…
“But maybe he wants to come back, I don’t know (Laughs). It’s a great debate, but it’s not a current debate.”
As Haise stated, Varane’s gigantic salary will obviously be a barrier to any agreement.
However, if there’s one side Varane would be willing to take a significant pay cut for it might be his boyhood club.
Lens are no pushover either, with the French side finishing just a single point behind PSG in second place in Ligue 1 last season.
They currently sit third in their Champions League group, trailing Arsenal but level on points with PSV Eindhoven.
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