Manchester United Transfer News: Raphael Varane, James Rodriguez, Top Rumours

Rumours regarding the future of Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane continue to swirl, with the latest reports connecting the France international with Manchester United, the club he grew up supporting. Meanwhile, James Rodriguez’s agent has reportedly been talking to interested teams.

According to Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News, Varane came close to signing for the Red Devils before moving to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, with United opting to bring Phil Jones into the club.

Varane was reportedly a big fan of United legend Rio Ferdinand, who urged his former club to sign the 23-year-old in 2014. Transfer speculation hasn’t died since and is once again ramping up ahead of the summer transfer window.

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Real manager Zinedine Zidane has rotated his three top centre-backs, but Pepe and Sergio Ramos have played the bulk of the key matches. Varane didn’t play a minute of Los Blancos’ UEFA Champions League clash with Manchester City.

Unsurprisingly, this has led to a new round of transfer rumours, and with Jose Mourinho expected to become the new United boss at some point in the future, Old Trafford is seen as the most likely destination for Varane, per Luckhurst.

Here’s a look at some of his highlights:

Mourinho launched Varane’s Real career, introducing him to the starting XI and trusting the youngster even in some of the team’s biggest matches, so it’s no stretch to believe Varane would want to work with the Special One again.

But Varane also revealed it was a phone call from Zidane that convinced him to join Los Blancos instead of United, something he discussed during an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche (h/t the Daily Express’ James Cambridge) in 2015.

Varane is seen as the natural heir to Pepe’s spot in Real’s starting XI, and the Portugal international isn’t getting any younger. Convincing Los Blancos to sell the Frenchman won’t be easy, and Sky Sports’ Guillem Balague thinks it will be just as hard convincing the player himself:

Real’s impending transfer ban makes a sale even less likely, per Ed Malyon of the Daily Mirror.

Rodriguez would perhaps be a more realistic target, and according to Balague, his agent, Jorge Mendes, has been talking to other clubs. When asked about the Colombian, he said:

"

The situation is he belongs to Jorge Mendes and he has been talking to other clubs. Real Madrid will accept offers, but at the moment there is none and they want to recover some of the money they spent on him. Keep an eye on that.

"

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According to Corriere dello Sport (h/t the Daily Mail’s Richard Arrowsmith), both United and Juventus are interested in the former AS Monaco man, whose time in the Spanish capital seems to be coming to an end after an inconsistent 2015-16 campaign.

Rodriguez was one of Real’s top performers last season, but his role has diminished greatly under new manager Zidane. According to OK Diario (h/t Sport’s Alejandro Alcazar), he has already put his apartment in Madrid up for rent, another sign he could be on his way out.

Here’s a look at some of his top highlights:

At his best, the 2014 FIFA World Cup hero ranks among the top attacking midfielders in the world, and it’s easy to see why both United and Juventus would be interested in his services. His value is lower than it has been in years, but he has the raw talent to turn things around and make Real regret ever selling him.

Los Blancos could choose to be patient with the Colombia international, but even Lucas Vazquez is currently preferred by Zidane, and Rodriguez’s exit looks likely at this point.

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