Raphael Varane reaches “pre-agreement” with Manchester United

Varane is said to be United's next priority after Jadon Sancho

What even is a "pre-agreement", anyway? An agreement to say you will agree to something? Is there such thing as a pre-pre-agreement? Either way, a "pre-agreement" is what Manchester United reportedly have with top defensive target, Raphael Varane. The French international has been strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford after he and his international teammates were eliminated from Euro 2020 by Switzerland earlier in the week. It's not clear exactly how close a deal is just yet, but Varane is widely reported to have turned down an offer of a new deal from Real Madrid, leaving with him with only a handful of possible destinations. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's desire to add another central defender to his squad has seen United named as his most likely next club. Although agreeing a "realistic" fee with Real could be the stumbling block for this transfer after United finally agreed a big money move for Jadon Sancho, personal terms with Varane don't appear to be an issue. ABC have said that Varane has reached the aforementioned "pre-agreement" with United on a five-year deal worth €12m-a-year - substantially more than Real's €7m salary. The same report claims the 28-year-old has been considering a switch to the Premier League for years, and wishes to make the move now following the departure of Zinedine Zidane at the end of last season. United confirmed an agreement with Borussia Dortmund for Sancho earlier this week, with the fee expected to be £73m. They have also completed the signing of former academy graduate, Tom Heaton, who will play the role as backup goalkeeper.