The World Cup champion has lost favour at Old Trafford and hasn’t made a Premier League start since September’s 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace.
TalkSPORT reports that Varane was not happy at being left out of the Manchester derby at Old Trafford last month, which United lost 3-0. This indicates that he has plummeted down the hierarchy.
Varane is reportedly planning to leave, but Ten Hag won’t allow it in January because the team is already severely thin. This is according to The Sun.
With plans already made for his next destination, it implies that a summer transfer is now the most likely option for the former Real Madrid player.
It is also understood by talkSPORT that Varane and midfielder Casemiro are targets for potential co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Varane’s return to Real Madrid is quite doubtful, despite reports from Spain to the contrary.
Rather, it appears that a trade to Saudi Arabia, where Alex Telles and Cristiano Ronaldo, two former United players, have previously moved, is more likely.
However, he is most likely going to sign with an Italian club if he wishes to remain in Europe.
Both Juventus and Inter Milan, who lost Milan Skriniar to Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer in the summer, are eager to add a center-back.
Any prospective suitor may encounter difficulty matching his £340,000-per-week salary at United.
Varane has recently lost ground to Jonny Evans in the United hierarchy. Evans was a surprise addition to the team after being let go by Leicester in the summer.
Ten Hag prefers to have a left-footed defender at the back, though, and Lisandro Martinez, his regular backup, is currently sidelined due to injury.
Since Aaron Wan-Bissaka is out with an injury and Diogo Dalot is filling in for the injured Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire has been back to full strength, forcing Varane out of the lineup. Victor Lindelof has been forced to play as an auxiliary right-back.
The Sun was informed by a source that Varane could receive a significant pay increase in Saudi Arabia.
However, he also has a strong interest in Italy since he respects and wishes he could play for that league.
Varane had great success with Real Madrid, winning three consecutive Champions League titles, and was heralded as a headline arrival when he signed with United in 2021.
With Varane and Martinez together, the Red Devils had one of the finest defensive records in the Premier League the previous season.
They had the most clean sheets in the division at the end of the season—17—three more than Liverpool, Newcastle, and Arsenal combined.
The United defence has struggled this season, despite Ten Hag’s insistence that there is no animosity between him and Varane.
“I chose these partnerships for tactical reasons,” asserted the Dutchman. Harry and Jonny did well, in my opinion.
As I mentioned last year, Rapha’s efforts pleased me greatly because Harry didn’t play much. I’ve always been pleased with his work.
