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Raphael Varane can now freely talk to overseas clubs about a summer transfer, as Man United decide against extending a one-year contract clause in his contract.
Manchester United’s dressing room is full of overpaid mercenaries. Let’s not beat around the bush anymore.
Erik ten Hag’s job is made all the tougher due to the fact that many of these players are simply too expensive and they cannot be moved on in a transfer. Other clubs flat out refuse to buy these players, then pay their massive wages. Hence, the Old Trafford side get stuck with them.
Raphael Varane is among the big earners at the club, fetching home around £300,000-a-week. The Frenchman was a big reason why the side were performing better last term, though his injuries cannot be ignored.
Now, according to the Daily Mail, the Reds have decided against activating the one-year option in Varane’s contract. Meaning the 30-year-old star is now free to talk to overseas clubs about signing a pre-contract, which would start in the summer.
The club believe Varane’s massive wages, coupled with injury, make it hard to keep him beyond the current deal, which does expire in June.
United are seeking to reduce the weekly wage bill to comply with future sustainability rules, while getting Varane off the books would be a step in the right direction. In terms of squad depth, it would weaken Ten Hag’s hand, though you do have to be wary of the Frenchman’s increasing injury problems.
Keeping Victor Lindelof at the club, while letting Varane walk in exactly the same scenario feels like a business decision rather than a football one, but that is the nature of the game at the moment – particularly when United’s wage bill is absolutely huge and isn’t justifying it on the pitch.
I’d like to think that this is the start of a real cultural reset at Old Trafford, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe now calling the shots and looking to ensure his boyhood club can return to former glories.
Letting Varane walk is a bold move. Let’s hope that the manager has some younger, cheaper targets in place to restock the Reds’ defence.
Do you think letting Raphael Varane leave would be smart business? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.
