Transfer Rumors: Manchester United 'Extremely Close' To Signing Harry Maguire's Partner On Defense

Manchester United’s dream pairing for team captain Harry Maguire in the backfield is about to come true.

The Manchester Evening News reports that the Red Devils are getting closer and closer to signing Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane.

Real Madrid has been looking to sell Varane since March as the 27-year-old had suggested that he wouldn’t be signing a contract extension with the club.

This then practically forced the club to sell him a year earlier than his contract would expire because Real Madrid would rather have some form of compensation for losing a big piece of their backline defense.

To date, Real Madrid has already lost a key piece of their defense as they allowed the 35-year-old Sergio Ramos to join Ligue 1’s Paris Saint-Germain.

Manchester United and Varane’s camps have been working on a deal since March, but the slow progress of their talks has taken the two sides the entirety of the transfer window which closes on August 31.

With Jadon Sancho firmly placed in their attacking line after a long and drawn-out saga with Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United can finally place all of their efforts into crafting their roster for the incoming season.

In addition to Varane, Manchester United is also looking into signing West Ham United’s Declan Rice to the midfield in the hopes that their roster will be good enough to compete for at least an English Premier League title this season.

The Manchester Evening News had also reported that the Red Devils’ previous bid of £50 million ($69.4 million) was not enough for Real Madrid who was originally believed to have wanted a package upwards of £80 million ($111.1 million) for Varane.

But it soon became clear that no club would be willing to come close to their asking price.

The slow progress of the Varane deal is a bit of a positive for the club as Varane is in no rush to join Manchester United after France’s strong but ultimately disappointing showing at the 2020 European Championships.

Manchester United is not yet done with retooling their roster as there have been reports that midfielder Paul Pogba is in close contact with PSG for a move to France.