Manchester United want to sign Raphael Varane from Real Madrid. That’s an open secret and has long been the case, with Ed Woodward reportedly indicating in 2018 that he was willing to spend £100million on the France international. Fortunately, this summer, any deal is unlikely to cost that much.

While they have Harry Maguire, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knows he needs upgrades on Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly if his side is to get anywhere near winning the Premier League title.

And though United have been linked with Pau Torres, and even Nathan Ake, it’s Varane who is currently their top target for the center-back position.

It’s certainly easy to see why, with the player helping Real Madrid win four Champions League titles during his 10-year stint at the Bernabeu.

Varane has also sparkled at the international level, playing a key role as France won the World Cup in Russia three years ago.

And Forbes claim earlier this year that, in 2018, Woodward indicated he was willing to break the bank to bring the 28-year-old to Old Trafford.

That’s a fee that would make Varane the costliest signing in the club’s history, dwarfing the £89m they shelled out on Paul Pogba in 2016. And it would also make Varane the most expensive defender of all time.

Fortunately for United, however, that may not need to go that high in order to finally land the Real Madrid star. Varane has just a year left on his current contract at Madrid and, with the club worried about losing him for nothing in 12 months, are prepared to cash in. A fee in the region of £50m has been mooted, making the 2018 World Cup winner a bargain in today’s market.

And whether United are successful in snapping up Varane remains to be seen, especially with other transfer targets currently on their radar.