Man Utd’s £42m Raphael Varane transfer set to see Ole Gunnar Solskjaer offload one star

Varane: All you need to know about Man Utd-linked defender

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Manchester United have agreed a £42million deal with Real Madrid for France international centre back Raphael Varane. Talks over United’s second major summer signing looked to have stalled on the Spanish giants initial £50m valuation on the defender.

There were also fears that Varane, who is out of contract next summer, was using United’s interest to land a new contract at the Bernabeu.

But sources at United indicated the deal regained momentum after “good discussions” between the two clubs and the player at the weekend.

And with the personal terms and add-ons agreed only the medical stands in the way of the club unveiling their latest acquisition by the end of the week.

Varane, 28, will become United’s second major summer swoop following the capture of £73m England winger Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.

MUST READ: Real Madrid: Varane ‘has watched videos of Man Utd ahead of move’

His name has been high on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s wishlist for 12 months with United’s boss seeing him as the perfect partner for Harry Maguire.

The Frenchman was also liked by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2011 before the then-Lens player opted to move to Madrid instead, where he has since spent a decade.

Varane’s arrival will nudge Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly down the pecking order but there are no plans to sell either.

Academy graduate Axel Tuanzebe, 23, is however likely to move on loan once the Varane deal is secured.

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Solskjaer was hoping to add a midfielder and a right-back to his summer shopping but his pursuit of Kieran Trippier looks to have stalled after Atletico Madrid hung a £30m price tag on the former Tottenham defender.

United were hoping for a figure closer to £15m for the England man, who impressed for the Three Lions at Euro 2020 on both the right and left sides of defence.

Solskjaer is also waiting to see if PSG’s interest in Paul Pogba firms up before committing to any midfield options.

United have meanwhile reached agreement with their own fans on the make-up and scope of a new Fan Advisory Board and expanded Fans’ Forum.

The new FAB will be made up of seven senior fan representatives and up to five club executives, creating what the club call “a new channel for in-depth dialogue on fan-related issues and strategic matters”.

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The board will meet quarterly, with one of the Executive Co-Chairmen attending at least once a year.

The fans’ forum will remain in place as a wider representative body meeting quarterly to address fan questions.

United insist progress has been made on the trickier issue of the creation of a mutually beneficial fan share scheme which would give fans access to a new class of shares with voting rights.

According to the club detailed work on the scheme’s possible structure is continuing with more information to be shared “in due course”.

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