Manchester United Transfer News: Latest on Raphael Varane, John Stones Rumours

Manchester United reportedly have star centre-back talent in their sights this summer, and the Red Devils have received positive news in their pursuits of Real Madrid's Raphael Varane and Everton's John Stones.

Varane was left out of Real's starting XI for the UEFA Champions League semi-final win over Manchester City last Wednesday, and French newspaper Le 10 Sport reported the defender is "considering a move to Manchester United" (h/t the Mirror). 

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The report also mentioned Varane has taken offence that manager Zinedine Zidane—who recommended him to Real prior to his 2011 switch from Lens—hasn't promoted him more in the starting lineup.

An extract from the Mirror read: 

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Having been signed by Madrid on the recommendation of Zinedine Zidane himself, the young defender is reportedly extremely unhappy that his new manager didn’t give him a single minute in the semi-finals nor in the previous round where Madrid pulled off a memorable comeback win over Wolfsburg.

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The France international has played deputy to team-mates Sergio Ramos and Pepe for much of his Real tenure, and being left out of the European semi-final—in both legs—appears to have had a major effect.

The Mirror noted rumored Red Devils managerial target Jose Mourinho is reportedly interested in signing Varane, as is incoming Bayern Munich manager Carlo Ancelotti. United could do with new blood in central defence too, according to Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News:

The Red Devils have never truly recovered from the losses of former club stalwarts Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic in 2014, although Chris Smalling's progression over the past year has been encouraging.

Varane has started in 29 of his 33 appearances this season, but when considering Real have played 50 matches across all competitions, the player's frustrations become easier to understand. The Times' Alex Kay-Jelski has also questioned the centre-back's fall:

The same could be said for former Toffees talisman Stones, whose stock appears to have fallen somewhat this season following a public transfer saga linking him with Chelsea last summer.

But the Blues are "ready to pull the plug" on their interest, according to Neil Fissler of the Daily Express, who reported inbound manager Antonio Conte has baulked at the defender's price tag, which could run in excess of £50 million. FloSports' Jeremy Botter said Everton are better off selling their star:

United have also been tied to the 21-year-old in the past, with Barcelona also reportedly interested, per Fissler, but Stones has been a shadow of his former self this term.

According to WhoScored.com, he's averaged only 1.4 tackles per game—good enough only for joint-10th-best in the Everton squad—and has made an average of 3.9 clearances per game, half the figures managed by the likes of Phil Jagielka and Ramiro Funes Mori.

While Red Devils chief Louis van Gaal may be pleased to hear Chelsea could be out of the equation, it may be the Blues are the smart ones to back out of what would surely be an expensive deal.