Raphaël Varane has one foot out of the Madrid and he showed it at the press conference prior to the duel of Champions against him Chelsea. It was not so much what he said but what he did not say. He was asked up to three times about his continuity and in all of them he gave evasive answers. “I'm focused on giving it my all in this season finale”, He assured the media, leaving his future in the air in the middle of a cloud of rumors about his departure.
The truth is that Varane has spent months preparing his departure from the white team. You have already told trusted people that your cycle is over and that you want to face new challenges away from Santiago Bernabeu. He also believes that it is the ideal time since his contract ends in 2022 and Madrid, if he wants to get money for him, will have to sell him this summer. To this we must add some anger with the club, among other things, due to the leakage of information such as, for example, that offers were going to be heard for him during the next summer market.
For its part, the board is aware of Varane's claims and they do not intend to make a great effort to retain it. Quite the contrary: they consider that he is one of the players with whom they can make cash and face other operations with greater financial guarantees. At 28 years old, the plant has a market value of 70 million euros, according to the specialized website Transfermakt. It is the second most expensive of Madrid behind Courtois and tied with Casemiro Y Valverde. In its position, it has the second highest value in the world, only surpassed by the central of the Juventus From Ligt.
In case of withdrawing an amount close to its value, Madrid would increase its treasury to, among other things, carry out the hiring of David Praise. The Austrian is very close to reaching the white club and, although he would do so as a free player, he would have to pay a high transfer bonus and a galactic salary (around 11 million). Also in defense, the club could reinvest part of the gains with Varane in a younger central defender. Pau Torres and Koundé are on the list, although the doubt is in the price that Villarreal and Seville would ask respectively.
We must also remember that Madrid's intention is still to sign a great striker in the next market, and for this they must obtain liquidity. Mbappé is the preferred and, although the contract also ends in 2022, PSG will not make his departure cheap. Any money entered will be useful to close the negotiation for the star of the French team.
The next few months will be definitive to clarify the situation of Varane that, although his continuity is in the air, he is still 100% involved in the fight for the League and the Champions League. His commitment to Madrid is total and any decision will be made at the end of the season.
Champions League
* Data updated as of April 26, 2021