Manchester United Transfer News: Latest on Thomas Muller, Raphael Varane Rumours

Bayern Munich president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has admitted the club rejected a large summer offer for their forward Thomas Muller, who was reportedly the subject of major interest from Manchester United.

As reported by the Press Association (via the Mail Online), the Red Devils manager Louis van Gaal is a known admirer of the player. According to BILD (h/t Matt Morlidge of the the MailOnline) there was a big-money bid from United in the window. Rummenigge admitted that an offer did materialise for the player, but he didn’t say where it had come from, per Richards’ piece:

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I'm talking about figures which were very high indeed. If I were a bank manager then I would have had to accept it.

But as a football club we allowed ourselves to close the door on it, and this door is remaining closed. I can promise that to everybody. But one thing is for certain, in view of the increased television money in England things are not going to get any easier for Bayern in future.

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Getting Muller in would have been a huge coup for United. Having worked and thrived under Van Gaal previously, the German would have been the perfect player to lend some support to Wayne Rooney and Memphis Depay at the point of the attack for the Red Devils.

But it’s easy to see why Bayern were so keen on keeping hold of the Germany international. As we can see here courtesy of WhoScored.com, he’s started the season in exceptional form for the Bundesliga champions:

With Bayern adamant that Muller would not be sold, United moved for Anthony Martial in the final embers of the transfer window. Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe took a look at what the teenage sensation will offer Van Gaal’s team:

After losing Bastian Schweinsteiger to United recently, it would have been a major surprise had the Bayern hierarchy allowed Muller to leave as well, regardless of the amount offered.

The forward may not always be the easiest on the eye, but he’s an effective player who makes key contributions and has a longstanding affinity with the club’s supporters. It’s the latter attribute that would be hugely difficult to replace, regardless of how much money the German juggernauts would potentially receive for his sale.

United Interest in Raphael Varane Revealed

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Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has revealed there has been interest from Manchester United in the club’s young centre-back Raphael Varane.

Perez was speaking on the Cadena Ser radio station (h/t Pete Jenson of the MailOnline) and was asked about a rumoured bid from the Red Devils for Gareth Bale. The president insisted the whispers were untrue, but there is genuine interest in the Welshman from Old Trafford, as well as two of the club’s French stars.

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“No, that [the Bale bid] is a lie. We know that United showed interest in Bale, [Karim] Benzema and [Raphael] Varane,” said Perez. “… Those who want to do harm to Real Madrid meddle but nothing really happened, nothing more than happens every summer.”

Here’s a reminder of why Varane is rated as one of the top defenders in world football:

The 22-year-old would certainly inject some quality into the heart of the United defence. While Varane is revered for his calm distribution and exceptional physical attributes, he possesses defensive instincts, a tenacity in the tackle and an insatiable desire to dominate when it comes to aerial battles.

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But as noted by Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC, new Los Blancos boss Rafa Benitez seems to consider Varane as a key component in the Madrid starting XI:

The same couldn’t be said for his predecessor Carlo Ancelotti, who seemed to favour the gnarly Pepe as the man to partner Sergio Ramos at the centre of Real’s back four. But Varane looks as though he’s going to be given a chance to make the position his own and so far this season, he’s yet to put a foot wrong.

United decided not to add any centre-backs to their squad this summer, with Van Gaal opting for Chris Smalling and Daley Blind at the heart of his defence in the early weeks. The jury is still out on whether those two are up to the standards required, but even if the Red Devils did have eyes for Varane, it would have been a major surprise to see Real sanction a sale.