Manchester United Transfer News: Latest Raphael Varane, Edinson Cavani Rumours

Manchester United's problems in defence have been all too clear so far this season and recent reports have suggested that Louis van Gaal is looking to Real Madrid's Raphael Varane, among others, to solve said issues.

The 21-year-old French international was recently rumoured to be looking for a way out of the Bernabeu in pursuit of more first-team football—he has started only five La Liga games this term per WhoScored.com—with United and Chelsea named as potential destinations for Varane, per Jack Wilson in the Daily Star.

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However, the latest reports suggest both Premier League clubs are concerned they may miss out on the talented centre-back, with Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola supposedly now targeting Varane, per Marca (h/t Charles Perrin in the Express).

However, while Marca claims the link comes from Guardiola having contacted super-agent Jorge Mendes, Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti quashed such rumours by pointing out that Varane, in fact, has different representation, per Spanish football writer Dermot Corrigan:

It seems that the Varane to Bayern rumours must be taken with a pinch of salt, and thus the Red Devils may still be in with a chance of bringing him to Old Trafford.

He is undoubtedly a fine talent who is only going to get better as he gains more experience, and he would likely be a more consistent option in the centre of United's defence than the likes of Jonny Evans, Phil Jones and Paddy McNair.

Varane is still very young, though, and would not solve all of United's defensive issues—they need an experienced leader at the back—but he would definitely be an improvement.

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At the other end of the pitch, rumours are now abounding that the Red Devils are looking to snap up wantaway Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani, per the Manchester Evening News's Samuel Luckhurst.

Le 10 Sport (h/t Alex Harris in the Daily Star) reports that the Red Devils' interest in the Uruguayan has been sparked by the unlikelihood of a permanent deal for current forward loanee Radamel Falcao going through at the end of the season.

If Falcao does indeed depart Old Trafford come the current term's end, then United would be short of a striker, and with Robin van Persie now 31 years old, the 27-year-old Cavani could well be a fine recruit.

He has scored 12 times in 24 league and Champions League appearances this season, per WhoScored, but continues to play second fiddle to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Cavani does seem to be looking for a way out of Paris, per The Independent's Jack de Menezes.

Ligue 1 expert Jonathan Johnson puts Cavani's value at an affordable €38 million (£29.6 million) and, should United be short of a forward in the summer, the former Napoli man would be a fine target for Van Gaal:

The Dutchman's first port of call must, however, be defensive reinforcements and Varane would be a decent buy as he could play at United for many years to come.

With the formidable attacking talents of Van Persie, Falcao, Wayne Rooney and Angel di Maria, and a superb goalkeeper in David de Gea, United are not far from being a genuine European force once again, and Van Gaal's astuteness in the transfer market will be key to his side's continued progression.