Manchester United Transfer Talk: Raphael Varane, Alex Telles

Manchester United have landed their top transfer target this summer transfer window, and are now moving closer to landing their second big signing of the summer in Real Madrid central defender Raphael Varane. The Manchester Evening News reports that the 28-year-old France international is close to agreeing on personal terms.

Varane has been linked to Old Trafford since the beginning of the silly season, and there is now strong hopes that the deal can be wrapped up within the next few weeks. With Varane’s current deal at the Bernabeu set to expire next year, it is thought that he could be obtained at a fairly favorable price.

In other words, United have pretty good bargaining leverage in this situation, and they can utilize that to find an upgrade to pair with Harry Maguire in the spine of their back line. Varane is said to be hoping the deal will get done in time so that he can just go to straight United’s training camp when he’s done on holiday.

Elsewhere, AS Roma could once again provide a destination for a United defender struggling to get in the team. Left-back Alex Telles, who just arrived last summer, is a target for a loan deal at Jose Mourinho’s new club, according to Calciomercato.

It’s a bit reminiscent of Chris Smalling, who was able to parlay his loan deal in the Italian capital into a permanent move.

However, it doesn’t seem like that situation will replay itself here.

Telles started only seven games at United this past season, and with Luke Shaw having such a massive Euro 2020 performance, following up on a stellar season on the club level, it’s unlikely Telles usurps him any time soon.

He can get game time at Roma though as Leonardo Spinazzola, one of Italy’s heroes in the Euro 2020, is out of commission for awhile after having ruptured his Achilles tendon in the knockoit round.

Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.