Man United complete Varane signing from Real Madrid

Manchester United's Raphael Varane is presented to the fans ahead of the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Leeds United. — AFP

Manchester - Varane walked out on the pitch ahead of United’s Premier League opener against Leeds United at Old Trafford on Saturday

By Reuters

Published: Sat 14 Aug 2021, 4:01 PM

Manchester United have completed the signing of centre back Raphael Varane from Real Madrid on a four-year contract, the Premier League club said on Saturday.

The two clubs had reached an agreement for the transfer last month, with British media reporting United would pay an initial 34 million pounds ($47 million) for Varane.

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“The chance to come here and play in the Premier League is something I couldn’t turn down,” said Varane, who has 79 caps for France and was part of their World Cup-winning side in 2018.

“I will give everything to become part of this club’s illustrious history.”

Varane walked out on the pitch ahead of United’s Premier League opener against Leeds United at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The player, whose Real contract was due to expire next summer, made 41 appearances for the club last season as Zinedine Zidane’s team finished runners-up to LaLiga champions Atletico Madrid and were eliminated by Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final.

The defender, who played 360 times for Real since joining from French side Lens in 2011, will bring a wealth of experience to United, having won 18 major honours during his time in Spain, including four Champions League and three LaLiga titles.

The 28-year-old played every minute of France’s European Championship campaign this summer, where they were eliminated by Switzerland in the last 16.

Varane is United’s third signing of the summer as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to build a squad with the aim of improving on last season’s second-placed finished in the Premier League.

Varane will join fellow new signings Jadon Sancho, who arrived from Borussia Dortmund for 85 million euros, and goalkeeper Tom Heaton, who returned to Old Trafford on a free transfer from Aston Villa.