Raphael Varane | Signed for United!

[A-man]

PSG would certainly make things more difficult and probably cause us to pay a bit more than wanted OR you could walk away from the deal and get the Argentine Romero for probably half of what Varane would cost if PSG gets involved

And Chelsea also seem to be interested.

 

[criticalanalysis]

If there is no realistic chance on signing Haaland (either because he won't move this summer or he doesn't want to consider us) and we spend our entire budget on Sancho and Varane, I think that would a good transfer summer.

There are still a quite a few areas we need to address on but it would be a step in the right direction.

 

[mazhar13]

And Chelsea also seem to be interested.

Whilst Romano and Man Utd Carreno of Cadena SER mentioned Chelsea, United are also seen as being ahead of them. On top of that, José Félix Díaz (one of the most reliable Real Madrid journalists) only mentioned PSG and Manchester United as clubs to have recently inquired about Varane.

 

[Bastian]

If there is no realistic chance on signing Haaland (either because he won't move this summer or he doesn't want to consider us) and we spend our entire budget on Sancho and Varane, I think that would a good transfer summer.

There are still a quite a few areas we need to address on but it would be a step in the right direction.

It would definitely be a huge step in the right direction. I still think we're going to have to at least sign one competent midfielder that allows us to play differently. There are so many players potentially leaving as well that we're bound to recoup some money as well as lowering the wage bill, so 3 players is quite realistic.

 

[A-man]

Whilst Romano and Man Utd Carreno of Cadena SER mentioned Chelsea, United are also seen as being ahead of them. On top of that, José Félix Díaz (one of the most reliable Real Madrid journalists) only mentioned PSG and Manchester United as clubs to have recently inquired about Varane.

Yes but Chelsea have been mentioned for a long time it of course we cannot know if it is genuine. It sounds reasonable to me.

 

[mazhar13]

Yes but Chelsea have been mentioned for a long time it of course we cannot know if it is genuine. It sounds reasonable to me.

I don't doubt that they're interested, but at the moment, we're further ahead of them given that we actually submitted an offer whilst they haven't done any such thing. Besides, I don't know if their budget would accommodate an expensive right wing back, an expensive centre back, and an expensive striker. We'll see what their plans are as the summer progresses.

 

[A-man]

I don't doubt that they're interested, but at the moment, we're further ahead of them given that we actually submitted an offer whilst they haven't done any such thing. Besides, I don't know if their budget would accommodate an expensive right wing back, an expensive centre back, and an expensive striker. We'll see what their plans are as the summer progresses.

Chelsea seem to have an ambitious transfer window, that’s for sure. They can maybe cope another season without a new CB but playing 3 at the back means they need one more especially since Silva is not to be trusted fitness wise.

 

[Fortitude]

Yes of course, why wouldn’t he? Besides that’s what they have agents for. If Varane would underperform, be injured or for some reason he doesn’t bring more value than Maguire, then I definitely think so. It’s not good to have a large difference in salary between players on the same level. I have followed RM for years and seen Varane play many times. He is often very good but it’s not like he’s Messi of defenders.

Because he hasn't been instrumental in anything up to this point in his career.

Varane's stock has actually dropped some from what it was a few years ago, but he's still comfortably regarded as one of the best CB's in the game, who has won everything there is to win and been a key component in most of that, which is also why his service comes at a premium whether he comes here, goes elsewhere, or stays where he is on a fat renewal.

Maguire's been the best of a poor set of defenders playing in a leaky defence that needs help - would you say his stock has risen since he got to United? Even if you think so, he's not starting out rated higher than Varane, which is why I would say he needs to win something major - or have an amazing season as an individual - before even thinking about knocking on doors asking for parity. The time for his nose to be knocked out of joint is if, after a successful season, he is not considered for a payrise.

Sure his agent can try his luck, but that doesn't really have legs as Maguire is not a coveted defender in the way Varane is. Would be interested to know where else you believe he'd get what he does at United, let alone more money!

 

[RkkMan]

Chelsea seem to have an ambitious transfer window, that’s for sure. They can maybe cope another season without a new CB but playing 3 at the back means they need one more especially since Silva is not to be trusted fitness wise.

If they sign Hakimi Reece James will be switched to a back 3 at RCB him and Rudiger are sure starters and between Thiago Silva and Christensen those are solid options before we mention Azpilicueta, Malang Sarr and Zouma. Adding Varane for them would definitely force them to sell at least 2 fringe CBs and maybe Christensen due to game time. Plus yeah as rich as they are doubt they spend £60m on Hakimi, over £50m on Varane, a new DM AND a new ST

 

[A-man]

Because he hasn't been instrumental in anything up to this point in his career.

Varane's stock has actually dropped some from what it was a few years ago, but he's still comfortably regarded as one of the best CB's in the game, who has won everything there is to win and been a key component in most of that, which is also why his service comes at a premium whether he comes here, goes elsewhere, or stays where he is on a fat renewal.

Maguire's been the best of a poor set of defenders playing in a leaky defence that needs help - would you say his stock has risen since he got to United? Even if you think so, he's not starting out rated higher than Varane, which is why I would say he needs to win something major - or have an amazing season as an individual - before even thinking about knocking on doors asking for parity. The time for his nose to be knocked out of joint is if, after a successful season, he is not considered for a payrise.

Sure his agent can try his luck, but that doesn't really have legs as Maguire is not a coveted defender in the way Varane is. Would be interested to know where else you believe he'd get what he does at United, let alone more money!

His old titles influence the price and salaries now, but in the end a new CB would be evaluated for his performance at United. If we end up worse than this year, let’s say 3rd position, nobody would care if he won a lot with Real Madrid.

 

[A-man]

If they sign Hakimi Reece James will be switched to a back 3 at RCB him and Rudiger are sure starters and between Thiago Silva and Christensen those are solid options before we mention Azpilicueta, Malang Sarr and Zouma. Adding Varane for them would definitely force them to sell at least 2 fringe CBs and maybe Christensen due to game time. Plus yeah as rich as they are doubt they spend £60m on Hakimi, over £50m on Varane, a new DM AND a new ST

Looking at numbers of CBs they have enough of them, but quality wise he would be a step up. But you’re probably right that they want to put the big money in other positions.

 

[Fortitude]

His old titles influence the price and salaries now, but in the end a new CB would be evaluated for his performance at United. If we end up worse than this year, let’s say 3rd position, nobody would care if he won a lot with Real Madrid.

Madrid have left he and Ramos exposed for the majority of his time there and he's still regarded as one of the best CB's active even with the mistakes that have crept into his game - any way it's sliced, Varane goes straight into the top echelon of active centre-backs whilst Maguire does not. Parity between the two could only be drawn by Maguire raising his level and being a key player for us, preferably in a winning campaign, or by Varane coming in and stinking up the place. If either were to happen, Maguire (or agent) might have a case to go knocking on doors, but even then, questions would be asked of what's going wrong here if Varane, for all his experience and instrumental qualities at the most successful club side of the last five years, can come here and tank.

The market also judges a player and his worth and that gives leverage in contract negotiations (as we're seeing with Varane, as no matter what he chooses, he's about to get a hefty payrise), and Maguire does not have the stock on an open market to demand parity with Varane here or get it elsewhere. Any club that could afford to buy him off us for north of £60m and pay him the same £300k -£400k Varane is likely to be on, would not be looking at him in the first place as that's the kind of outlay for the CB's a tier above.

 

[romufc]

Something happened called "covid"

The reduction IMO is mainly due to sancho wanting out and another year of his contract gone. I think if covid is taken into account he should be no more than $70M

If I can recall correctly, Covid hit last year when his price was £108m and he wanted out last year too.

One year gone, that makes no difference because he still has 2 years left on his contract.

 

[A-man]

Madrid have left he and Ramos exposed for the majority of his time there and he's still regarded as one of the best CB's active even with the mistakes that have crept into his game - any way it's sliced, Varane goes straight into the top echelon of active centre-backs whilst Maguire does not. Parity between the two could only be drawn by Maguire raising his level and being a key player for us, preferably in a winning campaign, or by Varane coming in and stinking up the place. If either were to happen, Maguire (or agent) might have a case to go knocking on doors, but even then, questions would be asked of what's going wrong here if Varane, for all his experience and instrumental qualities at the most successful club side of the last five years, can come here and tank.

The market also judges a player and his worth and that gives leverage in contract negotiations (as we're seeing with Varane, as no matter what he chooses, he's about to get a hefty payrise), and Maguire does not have the stock on an open market to demand parity with Varane here or get it elsewhere. Any club that could afford to buy him off us for north of £60m and pay him the same £300k -£400k Varane is likely to be on, would not be looking at him in the first place as that's the kind of outlay for the CB's a tier above.

I absolutely agree that he is a very good CB and one of the absolute best in la Liga and one level above Maguire. That could of course change if coming to PL. And I don’t think he’ll be cheap, and I think he should demand high salary, just that there might be consequences.
What puzzles me with Varane is that I don’t think he has developed in the right way the last seasons. As you wrote, he has added mistakes/errors to his game. Normally players iron out those. On the other hand it could mean he is taking bigger responsibility now than 5 years ago. Or what do you think?

 

[StonedhamsterZA]

I just think lowballing RM for Varane based on his contract situation and losing out on the opportunity to sign him would be foolish.

If we were signing a second string player, then that’s fine, play the “contract running out” card. But this is an uncommon situation where a player - in his prime age-wise - isn’t willing to sign a new contract.

I feel we should treat this as a normal signing, as if we mess around with transfer price and miss out on this, it’ll be a bad call.

This is obviously under the condition that he is in fact keen to leave and isn’t looking for a payday at RM.

 

[DJ_21]

I just think lowballing RM for Varane based on his contract situation and losing out on the opportunity to sign him would be foolish.

If we were signing a second string player, then that’s fine, play the “contract running out” card. But this is an uncommon situation where a player - in his prime age-wise - isn’t willing to sign a new contract.

I feel we should treat this as a normal signing, as if we mess around with transfer price and miss out on this, it’ll be a bad call.

This is obviously under the condition that he is in fact keen to leave and isn’t looking for a payday at RM.

I agree, although I feel like if Madrid was to double his wages then he wouldn’t think twice about staying, so if we’re offering him more then Madrid are then it tells me he’s only willing to join us for the money. Solskjær has tried to get us away from that by signing actual players that want to play for us and not just because of money.

 

[Hughes35]

I just think lowballing RM for Varane based on his contract situation and losing out on the opportunity to sign him would be foolish.

If we were signing a second string player, then that’s fine, play the “contract running out” card. But this is an uncommon situation where a player - in his prime age-wise - isn’t willing to sign a new contract.

I feel we should treat this as a normal signing, as if we mess around with transfer price and miss out on this, it’ll be a bad call.

This is obviously under the condition that he is in fact keen to leave and isn’t looking for a payday at RM.

Kind of how it feels to me as well. If he had 4 years left on his contract and they said we could have him for 50-55 million, we would have already signed the cheque by now.

I understand negotiations but if we miss out on getting him and he goes somewhere else for around 50 million it is yet another massive feck up.

 

[Tony247]

Stay away from RM players. They are using united to get a better contract. Sell them the players you don't want though. Heard they pay good money.

 

[Cloud7]

I absolutely agree that many figures we hear in media are highly exaggerated and there is a big difference between sources. It my point was that if a new player comes in and get a high salary, players at the same level but with much lower salary will want to negotiate their contracts. I could see that happen maybe with Shaw and Maguire, especially if Varane underperforms. Maybe also Bruno.

Has this ever happened anywhere in the history of football? We see reports of players wanting higher wages based on what they could be making at other clubs, eg Ashley Cole when he went to Chelsea, but I have never once seen or read anything regarding players at a club demanding higher wages because of what their teammates earn. That just seems like a fantasy that fans toss about ever so often that doesn’t stand up to any actual scrutiny.

 

[Womp]

Stay away from RM players. They are using united to get a better contract. Sell them the players you don't want though. Heard they pay good money.

Most reports (and the reliable ones iirc) are suggesting he has ignored/rejected their contract offers.

 

[theklr]

Most reports (and the reliable ones iirc) are suggesting he has ignored/rejected their contract offers.

yeah, think the most realistic way of not getting him now is if he goes to PSG

 

[A-man]

Has this ever happened anywhere in the history of football? We see reports of players wanting higher wages based on what they could be making at other clubs, eg Ashley Cole when he went to Chelsea, but I have never once seen or read anything regarding players at a club demanding higher wages because of what their teammates earn. That just seems like a fantasy that fans toss about ever so often that doesn’t stand up to any actual scrutiny.

I doubt you will hear a club talk about this problem on a press conference, if that’s what you mean. But I’m surprised you never even heard or read about it before. There was a lot of talk about Liverpool needed to keep salaries down but still make their biggest star van Dijk happy (who was on a contract where he was payed less than other less important players), and how an increase in his salary could start a reaction where their top trio up front would ask for more. This was discussed in media, however if it was true or not, I don’t know.

This is how it works other business. Why would footballers be less concerned about their salaries than other people?

Edit:
The papers have been full of discussions how Alaba’s new contract and salary could make Varane ask for more money. One example, have no clue how reliable, just made a quick search:


There is also an untold vibe that feels strange when David Alaba walks into Real Madrid on a fresh contract, already earning more than one of the greatest defenders in club history, Raphael Varane, who is the same age as Alaba. Varane will weigh those numbers when deciding how much he feels valued by the club. If he does end up staying, it’s likely on a matched salary — meaning you have another expensive contract on the books.

https://www.google.se/amp/s/www.man...d-next-season-despite-being-on-a-crazy-salary

Here’s another
The newspaper added that Varane currently receives 5.5 million euros annually, and Real Madrid offered him an offer of 7 million euros, with an increase of 27% in salary, but the player’s agents revealed that he wanted to get 12 million euros, net like Alaba.

https://www.google.se/amp/s/middleeast.in-24.com/sport/News/amp/3890

 

[Fortitude]

I absolutely agree that he is a very good CB and one of the absolute best in la Liga and one level above Maguire. That could of course change if coming to PL. And I don’t think he’ll be cheap, and I think he should demand high salary, just that there might be consequences.
What puzzles me with Varane is that I don’t think he has developed in the right way the last seasons. As you wrote, he has added mistakes/errors to his game. Normally players iron out those. On the other hand it could mean he is taking bigger responsibility now than 5 years ago. Or what do you think?

It's a valid point that we don't know how Varane will take to the PL, particularly with regard to rough-housing and aerial 'bombardment' (although teams don't really do that anymore relative to what it used to be like), but he has so many pros to his game and perhaps the biggest of all, above his ability, is he has played in an almost suicidally high line for years now. He has the pace, intelligence and composure to sweep up behind Maguire and afford him more peace of mind than anyone else we have at the club to go off and try and be whatever it is Maguire tries to be out there. I'm not trying to be harsh on Maguire here, btw, rather, he can fully commit to being whatever type of player he perceives himself to be with Varane beside him and not have to have one eye on his CB partner and one on the game he wants to play like he currently does.

Maguire is obviously no Rio or Vidic, but the comparison I'm making here is that, once Vidic arrived, Rio no longer had to babysit the backline, rather he could marshall it and instruct the pieces to go where he wanted them to go rather than having the anxiousness that a mistake or mishap was just around the corner, like he had pre-Vidic. So by Vidic arriving, Rio was released to go and be the player he wanted to be rather than the one he had to be in a coddled backline. This is what a 'tier 1' defender should enable his partner to do and where we can drag this back to the here and now and consider how much a player like Varane could transform our backline. It's not just his ability and individual quality you're buying, but the assurance to a partner and a backline as a whole as the flanker on his side also has a different remit with him there due to his pace and ability to cover without a moment of hesitation.

The Varane of c. 2018 was seen as dead cert all-time great and even with his mistakes and errors since then, he still has time on his side to get back to, or even go beyond, the level he was once at. There aren't many CB's on the planet who that kind of thing can be said about and it's a total no-brainer to sign this calibre of CB if there's a chance to do so.

I can't really talk about his development or lack thereof because, where I once intently followed his career trajectory, I haven't done for a while now, so perhaps @JPRouve or the Madridistas here can give some insight into what's caused the deviation from what was looking like a straight line to the very top of the CB tree just a few years back. Varane, as is, with the mistakes and odd bad game he has in him is still so much better than what we've got here that it's not even funny.

Us tutting and sighing at the bad games Varane has wouldn't be much different to how Liverpool supporters would be with Van Dijk - you really wouldn't hesitate to take that kind of rough with the smooth compared to the game-by-game woes we currently experience with what we've got here.

I don't think anything will come of this, but if there's legs to Varane having an interest in coming here, I'd like to think we'd be willing to pull up trees to make it happen because: 1) 'Tier 1' already established at a top level club CB's are extremely rare to find on an open market - these guys get locked to contracts until they are physically shot, want away or are usurped by the next prodigious talent. One moving in what could be considered his prime years is a really big deal; 2) Our backline badly needs a player of his profile for the reasons given in the first paragraph; 3) he's a player who you can genuinely say has the potential to legitimately be considered transformative as the backline can then play as high as it wants and suffocate the opposing forwards; the midfield can take themselves higher up as a block, again causing applied pressure to opposing midfields earlier, which, in theory should lead to more turnovers and reworking of the ball to the forward line.

 

[golden_blunder]

His old titles influence the price and salaries now, but in the end a new CB would be evaluated for his performance at United. If we end up worse than this year, let’s say 3rd position, nobody would care if he won a lot with Real Madrid.

We can finish 3rd but still have a better defence

 

[Ali Dia]

Never mind, @Tom Van Persie, I just remembered the report. Yeah, it's weird that Real Madrid would reject our offer whilst the Spanish media talks about 50 million Euros being the price. I hope that 50 million Euros isn't the price for PSG whilst they have 80 million Pounds for us.

Didn’t they do something similar with Morata? Quoted us a bigger fee for us than he went to Chelsea for supposedly?

Sancho and Varane is such a massive upgrade to the first 11 and the knock on it’ll have with the squad rest and rotation. I think we will surprise more than a few people next year if we get these deals over the line. Its real FM stuff.

 

[JPRouve]

I can't really talk about his development or lack thereof because, where I once intently followed his career trajectory, I haven't done for a while now, so perhaps @JPRouve or the Madridistas here can give some insight into what's caused the deviation from what was looking like a straight line to the very top of the CB tree just a few years back. Varane, as is, with the mistakes and odd bad game he has in him is still so much better than what we've got here that it's not even funny.

I don't really know but overall Varane has actually improved, he is more consistent, he is better in the air and more authoritative but he has made some high profile mistakes that stick to the minds and in those games has looked rattled which is particularly remarkable since he is generally calm. Personally I don't think that his mistakes are representative of the player that he is and wouldn't make a big deal out them.

 

[Fortitude]

I don't really know but overall Varane has actually improved, he is more consistent, he is better in the air and more authoritative but he has made some high profile mistakes that stick to the minds and in those games has looked rattled which is particularly remarkable since he is generally calm. Personally I don't think that his mistakes are representative of the player that he is and wouldn't make a big deal out them.

Yeah I agree, which is a testament to his standing that his bad games are seen as such a big deal. Tells you they happen rarely enough to be standout or talking points.

 

[mazhar13]

Didn’t they do something similar with Morata? Quoted us a bigger fee for us than he went to Chelsea for supposedly?

Yeah, I remember reading stuff like that. I wouldn't be surprised if we're being quoted higher fees given our propensity to spend big money, especially since we spent big money on di Maria.

 

[mazhar13]

Yeah I agree, which is a testament to his standing that his bad games are seen as such a big deal. Tells you they happen rarely enough to be standout or talking points.

To be fair, United fans to tend to blow up any little error made by any player, so is it a surprise that something similar's being done to Varane? They'd even find errors with Cristiano Ronaldo and attack him for them if he were to play for us again.

 

[A-man]

We can finish 3rd but still have a better defence

Not even signed the contract and already making excuses.

The main point is not better defence but to get more points. Our current CB pair had 16 wins, 8 draws and 2 losses which is 2.15 points per game. These are the numbers we should expect to increase with a new first CB pair.

 

[Fortitude]

To be fair, United fans to tend to blow up any little error made by any player, so is it a surprise that something similar's being done to Varane? They'd even find errors with Cristiano Ronaldo and attack him for them if he were to play for us again.

I guess it comes with the territory; you're a top tier defender, you're not allowed bad games or to be turned inside out (see Vidic - Torres), so that level of scrutiny really is out there relative to the stick less regarded players get for their own version of a bad game. Another thing is, those in that bracket tend to be compared to themselves as the yardstick, so even if it was a 6 or 7 out of 10 game for another player, for them, it's a 5 or 4.

If Varane did come here, I wonder how long he'd be given by some fans to find his feet and settle in the league.

 

[A-man]

It's a valid point that we don't know how Varane will take to the PL, particularly with regard to rough-housing and aerial 'bombardment' (although teams don't really do that anymore relative to what it used to be like), but he has so many pros to his game and perhaps the biggest of all, above his ability, is he has played in an almost suicidally high line for years now. He has the pace, intelligence and composure to sweep up behind Maguire and afford him more peace of mind than anyone else we have at the club to go off and try and be whatever it is Maguire tries to be out there. I'm not trying to be harsh on Maguire here, btw, rather, he can fully commit to being whatever type of player he perceives himself to be with Varane beside him and not have to have one eye on his CB partner and one on the game he wants to play like he currently does.

Maguire is obviously no Rio or Vidic, but the comparison I'm making here is that, once Vidic arrived, Rio no longer had to babysit the backline, rather he could marshall it and instruct the pieces to go where he wanted them to go rather than having the anxiousness that a mistake or mishap was just around the corner, like he had pre-Vidic. So by Vidic arriving, Rio was released to go and be the player he wanted to be rather than the one he had to be in a coddled backline. This is what a 'tier 1' defender should enable his partner to do and where we can drag this back to the here and now and consider how much a player like Varane could transform our backline. It's not just his ability and individual quality you're buying, but the assurance to a partner and a backline as a whole as the flanker on his side also has a different remit with him there due to his pace and ability to cover without a moment of hesitation.

The Varane of c. 2018 was seen as dead cert all-time great and even with his mistakes and errors since then, he still has time on his side to get back to, or even go beyond, the level he was once at. There aren't many CB's on the planet who that kind of thing can be said about and it's a total no-brainer to sign this calibre of CB if there's a chance to do so.

I can't really talk about his development or lack thereof because, where I once intently followed his career trajectory, I haven't done for a while now, so perhaps @JPRouve or the Madridistas here can give some insight into what's caused the deviation from what was looking like a straight line to the very top of the CB tree just a few years back. Varane, as is, with the mistakes and odd bad game he has in him is still so much better than what we've got here that it's not even funny.

Us tutting and sighing at the bad games Varane has wouldn't be much different to how Liverpool supporters would be with Van Dijk - you really wouldn't hesitate to take that kind of rough with the smooth compared to the game-by-game woes we currently experience with what we've got here.

I don't think anything will come of this, but if there's legs to Varane having an interest in coming here, I'd like to think we'd be willing to pull up trees to make it happen because: 1) 'Tier 1' already established at a top level club CB's are extremely rare to find on an open market - these guys get locked to contracts until they are physically shot, want away or are usurped by the next prodigious talent. One moving in what could be considered his prime years is a really big deal; 2) Our backline badly needs a player of his profile for the reasons given in the first paragraph; 3) he's a player who you can genuinely say has the potential to legitimately be considered transformative as the backline can then play as high as it wants and suffocate the opposing forwards; the midfield can take themselves higher up as a block, again causing applied pressure to opposing midfields earlier, which, in theory should lead to more turnovers and reworking of the ball to the forward line.

I agree about his level, there will not be any better CB available this window. If he has the leadership etc to transform a whole backline or team is more questionable than his own performance level. He definitely has the experience of suicidal high line, however we should also keep in mind that Real Madrid have never been defensive during these years and most season they have conceded around 40 or worse. I also think on that suicidal high line depended on more than Varane, also Casemiro and Ramos were important pieces.
Ok there is a risk with PL, but I have much more confidence in Varane as succesful than the other ones mentioned. He has showed his skills on international level for many years against all kinds of teams. But sure, you can never know. I also think he is a much better fit. And he would be able to replace Maguire as well when necessary.

 

[golden_blunder]

Not even signed the contract and already making excuses.

The main point is not better defence but to get more points. Our current CB pair had 16 wins, 8 draws and 2 losses which is 2.15 points per game. These are the numbers we should expect to increase with a new first CB pair.

I was directly answering the point about finishing 3rd

Im saying there’s more than 1 reason to finish third. It could be for a wild example that, I dunno, maybe an injury crisis in midfield or all of our strikers start hitting the corner flag rather than the net. Its not always aboyt

 

[andersj]

Not even signed the contract and a dude is trying to find a way to talk Lindelof back in the team…

 

[caid]

I guess it comes with the territory; you're a top tier defender, you're not allowed bad games or to be turned inside out (see Vidic - Torres), so that level of scrutiny really is out there relative to the stick less regarded players get for their own version of a bad game. Another thing is, those in that bracket tend to be compared to themselves as the yardstick, so even if it was a 6 or 7 out of 10 game for another player, for them, it's a 5 or 4.

If Varane did come here, I wonder how long he'd be given by some fans to find his feet and settle in the league.

Van De Beek says just under a season. Maybe less because of his profile

 

[croadyman]

Have wanted the guy for years and not going to let a dodgy performance against City and being partly at fault for the Hungary goal on Saturday change my mind about signing him

 

[peridigm]

Didn’t they do something similar with Morata? Quoted us a bigger fee for us than he went to Chelsea for supposedly?

Sancho and Varane is such a massive upgrade to the first 11 and the knock on it’ll have with the squad rest and rotation. I think we will surprise more than a few people next year if we get these deals over the line. Its real FM stuff.

I thought Morata was smoke screen for Lukaku because Chelsea was sniffing around. They only bought Morata because no one else was available.

 

[Nori-]

This deal looks increasingly likely. Yikes.

Apparently PSG want Ramos more so that gives us a clear path for Varane.

I just wonder, is he what we actually need in terms of the right partner for Maguire or are the club signing him because he fits the big name criteria?

 

[Godfather]

This deal looks increasingly likely.

Does it?

 

[kirk buttercup]

This deal looks increasingly likely. Yikes.

Apparently PSG want Ramos more so that gives us a clear path for Varane.

I just wonder, is he what we actually need in terms of the right partner for Maguire or are the club signing him because he fits the big name criteria?

He is certainly better than Lindelof or Bailley /Jones/Rojo