[ad_1]
Manchester United new boy Jadon Sancho may have prematurely confirmed the imminent arrival of Raphael Varane at Old Trafford during an Instagram Live session on Monday afternoon. The 21-year-old, who was unveiled as a Red Devils player on Friday after sealing his long-awaited move from Borussia Dortmund, could reportedly be joined by Varane by the end of next week.
The Real Madrid defender is believed to be closing in on a £42.7million switch to United, with his medical set to be completed on Wednesday per Gianluca di Marzio.
The 20-time Premier League champions have agreed personal terms with Varane, who is poised to leave the Spanish capital after a decade of service to pen a five-year contract with the Red Devils.
He will be expected to shore up United’s defensive ranks alongside skipper Harry Maguire next season as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer eyes a return to the summit of the Premier League table.
Sancho will also be looking to hit the ground running and nip ahead of Marcus Rashford in the pecking order to firmly establish himself as the club’s first-choice left winger.
The man from Camberwell is currently gearing up for the new Premier League season and took to Instagram to interact with his followers during a treadmill session on Monday.
JUST IN: Raphael Varane to have Man Utd medical in 48 hours with £42m deal done
He invited viewers to ask their burning questions via the comments section, before one United fan went straight in with: “Touch your hat to announce Varane.”
Sancho duly obliged, putting both hands on his hat after a brief moment to suggest that Varane is indeed United-bound, with his gesture sending Red Devils supporters into a frenzy.
The Frenchman, who played every minute of football for his country at Euro 2020, has been on the club’s radar for more than a decade.
United tried and failed to secure his signature before Real Madrid came calling back in 2011, but an impending move to Old Trafford finally looks to be on the horizon this time around.
DON’T MISS
Although the signing of Varane will go a long way to improving the strength of United’s back line ahead of next season, former Premier League midfielder Jamie O’Hara recently suggested that his partnership with Maguire could be exploited due to a lack of pace.
“I mean it’s top class, isn’t it? World class,” O’Hara told talkSPORT. “I’d worry potentially a bit about pace with them both.
“I’ve seen Varane get torn apart a little bit by Chelsea in the Champions League last season. Pace I think would be something that teams would try and exploit against them two.
“If you look at Liverpool, when [Virgil] van Dijk’s fit and [Joe] Gomez is fit, they’ve got pace. They can get themselves out of trouble.
Do you want an exclusive pre-season preview for YOUR club – both in your inbox and through your letterbox? Head over here to find out more and secure your copy.
“They [United] will lack in that area, but it’s a brilliant pairing in terms of on the ball and experience, leadership qualities.
“It’s going to be a top signing, they’ll have a decent back four.”
Varane has played for Real Madrid on no less than 360 occasions since joining the club from Lens ten years ago, chipping in with 17 goals and another seven assists in all competitions.
He was a mainstay for the Spanish giants as they narrowly missed out on last season’s La Liga title to cross-city rivals Atletico Madrid by a two-point margin.
[ad_2]
