There was some mixed news for the supporters hoping to see one of Manchester United’s FA Cup final heroes make an emotional return to his old employers this summer.
Yes, one of the biggest names on his way out of Old Trafford at the start of the Ineos era remains a ‘dream’ signing for a club who gave him his break in senior football over a decade ago.
But reports suggesting that talks over a tear-jerking homecoming are already underway? Those are a little wide of the mark.
The only certainty, at this stage, is that Raphael Varane has played his final game for Manchester United. The Red Devils confirmed as such in May, the World Cup winning France international leaving when his contract expires in a couple of weeks.
It was a decision which has split the Man United supporters right down the middle. If his colossal performance against bitter rivals Man City in that FA Cup final proved anything, its that Varane – when fit – is still one of the planet’s finest centre-halves.
But the problem is – and it’s a pretty big problem – Varane is simply not fit often enough.
Raphael Varane is leaving Manchester United
The former Real Madrid powerhouse started only 16 Premier League games in 2023/24. At the age of 31, and as the second-highest earner in the Man United squad, this was not a sustainable situation for a club looking to reduce an eye-watering wage bill.
But where will the path take Varane next? Back to a familiar stomping ground, perhaps? Joseph Oughourlian, the president of RC Lens, would love nothing more than to see one of the club’s most beloved sons back in that red-and-yellow shirt.
But Lens are hardly one of the most deep-pocketed clubs in French football, and a deal for a man who reportedly earned £340,000-a-week with Man United would take some arranging.
“I do not have this information that the (situation) was advanced,” Oughourlian tells FootMercato. “I don’t recognise myself in many of the articles. For an investment like that, someone would probably have consulted me.
“For the fan that I am, (signing Varane) is my dream. (But) there is no negotiation. We will have to see the financial elements.”
Will Frenchman return to Ligue 1?
Lens recently lost their talismanic head coach, Franck Haise, to the Ineos-owned OGC Nice. Varane, meanwhile, played 23 Ligue 1 games for the perennial overachievers before joining a Jose Mourinho-led Real Madrid side back in 2011.
The 93-cap veteran recently opened the door to a ‘return to France’, Haise saying prior to his departure that Varane would be ‘welcomed with open arms’ at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
“A return to France? Everything is possible,” Varane said. I’m at the end of my contract, this is the first time in my career (that I will be a free-agent).
“I’m going to take the time to sit down and think about it.”
Varane appears likely to be replaced at Man United by a younger defender at the start of his journey. Everton’s outstanding England international Jarrad Branthwaite appears to be the leading target, while a potential £50 million deal for Atalanta ace Giorgio Scalvini went up in smoke after the Europa League winner ruptured his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL).