Manchester United are set to unveil Raphael Varane soon, which may cause some celebration and commiseration within the current camp.
United have reportedly agreed to sign the Real Madrid defender for an initial fee of £34m (BBC).
Based on football’s financial market and the quality of player being bought, this could go down as one of the summer’s bargain purchases.
Overall, this is a major scoop for United, who have already made waves in the transfer market by signing Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.
Adding Varane to the ranks will only strengthen their claim for a potential Premier League title challenge this season.
Whilst many within Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad will be rejoicing the World Cup victors’ arrival, a few might not be so welcoming.
Here are three winners and losers from the Frenchman’s move to Old Trafford.
Winners
Harry Maguire
This is easily the most obvious pick of the bunch.
Harry Maguire has been screaming out for a solid, defensive partnership since his switch from Leicester City in 2019.
To Solskjaer’s credit, he stuck with his skipper and Victor Lindelof for some time.
But Varane’s entrance signals the changing of the guard.
Maguire and the soon-to-be ex-Madrid man could make up a legendary centre-back duo, one to possibly rival Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Another to benefit from the serial silverware collector’s appearance should be Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Typically, the 23-year-old has played alongside Lindelof on the right side of United’s defence.
Swapping the Swede out for Varane would certainly form a much sturdier settlement around that area of the field.
Paul Pogba
Rumours about Paul Pogba’s possible exit from Manchester continue to rumble on, yet he might want to think twice about leaving now his compatriot is in town.
Having others of similar stature around the midfielder could be an excellent ploy to get him performing to his highest levels again.
Pogba and Varane have a connection via the French national team, a relationship Solskjaer will surely want to build upon.
Losers
Victor Lindelof
Quite clearly the fall guy in this scenario is Lindelof.
A regular last season, with 45 appearances to his name, the defender will likely make way for United’s luxury recruit.
He is a very decent understudy, who should get good minutes in the cup competitions.
Eric Bailly
Lindelof’s possible omission is set to have a domino effect on the other centre-halves in the team.
Beginning with Eric Bailly, who has been on the fringes for some time due to repeated injury absences.
The Ivorian international’s future is already under question, a situation that may come under further scrutiny thanks to Varane’s homecoming.
Axel Tuanzebe
At the bottom of the ladder is Axel Tuanzebe.
Outings have been rare for the Red Devils academy product in recent memory, with opportunities set to decrease even further.
Unless he is sent out on loan, which is now a major possibility as Newcastle United are seemingly pushing for his signature.
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