Al-Ittihad in 'preliminary negotiations' with Man United to sign Raphael Varane

The defender himself has shown interest in a move to Saudi Arabia.

It is being reported that Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad has shown interest in acquiring Manchester United defender Raphael Varane, and that talks between the two teams and the players have entered the preliminary stages of materialisation.

Al-Ittihad’s inquiry into acquiring Varane’s services come at a time after the French defender himself expressed interest in moving to Saudi Arabia. His desire to move to the Middle East came as a shock to some people in the football world considering that he is only 30 years old.

He moved to Old Trafford after a successful 11-year stint with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. After joining them in 2021, he was an integral part of The Red Devils reconstruction campaign after a disastrous 2021-2022 season.

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In two seasons, he has made 68 appearances for them and has been a solid, leak-proof defender for Ten Hag’s side. In the two games United have played this season, he is their only goal scorer so far, scoring in a nervy 1-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Losing Varane at this stage would leave a huge impact on Manchester United, who have already left defender and former captain Harry Maguire out of their plans.

It is widely speculated that Erik Ten Hag will attach a huge price tag on him as part of efforts to keep him at Old Trafford.

However, acquiring Varane shouldn’t be an uphill task for Al-Ittihad, they have already acquired the services of N’Golo Kante, Fabhino, and mostly famously, Karim Benzema.

Benzema’s presence at Al-Ittihad might be an important factor in influencing Varane’s move to Saudi Arabia. The pair have spent 10 tittle laden years at Real Madrid together.

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