Exclusive: We could see “open situation” for Man Utd star in January transfer window, says expert

Manchester United defender Raphael Varane could be in an “open situation” in the January transfer window, according to Fabrizio Romano as he spoke on the Debrief Podcast today.

The Red Devils are known to be targeting a new signing at centre-back for January, or perhaps later in 2024, according to Romano, who has suggested that a deal in the middle of the season could hinge on what kind of opportunities are out there, as it’s mostly the case that clubs won’t want to sell important players in the middle of the season.

Man Utd have been linked with the likes of Jean-Clair Todibo, with Romano mentioning the Nice defender in his appearance on today’s podcast, and one imagines they would surely step up their pursuit of the Frenchman if they were to lose an experienced, proven player like Varane.

Harry Maguire has worked his way back into Erik ten Hag’s starting line up, so his position at Old Trafford may now be more secure, though Romano insists this is simply a tactical thing and there’s no particular issue with Varane, who may also get more playing time again now that Jonny Evans is out injured.

“The message from Manchester United on Varane is that it’s a tactical decision. They are very happy with how Harry Maguire is playing. Now that Jonny Evans is injured I’m sure Varane will get more playing time,” Romano said.

“Of course, if they receive important proposals for Varane, it could be an open situation in the January window.

“United will decide on a centre-back signing depending on opportunities, but players like Todibo, an important player for Nice … it’s not easy to sign these players in the January window, so it might have to wait until the summer, but the idea is to bring in an important centre-back in 2024.”