Manchester United defender Raphael Varane is reportedly optimistic that the club will extend his contract beyond the end of the current campaign.
Upon his arrival at Old Trafford in the summer of 2021, the Red Devils stated that the former France international has committed to a four-year contract until the summer of 2025 with the option of another 12 months.
However, it has since been revealed that the club's initial communication was incorrect, and Varane is in fact only under contract until the end of the season and is therefore set to enter the final six months of his terms in January.
Should Varane not have his deal prolonged within the next couple of weeks, he will be allowed to open talks with foreign clubs over a pre-contract agreement before a potential free transfer away from Man United.
The Frenchman has found himself on the fringes of Erik ten Hag's team for most of the season, but he was back in the starting XI for the weekend's goalless draw with Liverpool and earned plenty of plaudits for a strong defensive display.
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According to the Manchester Evening News, the former Real Madrid man is hopeful that his 12-month option will be triggered, allowing him to continue at Old Trafford until the summer of 2025.
During his stint on the Red Devils bench, Varane supposedly believed that he was being forced out of the club, and Ten Hag was forced to deny allegations that the pair's relationship had completely deteriorated.
Having played his way back into the starting XI - thanks in no small part to injuries to Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire - Varane is now understood to be in favour of staying at Man United, despite their mediocre start to the 2023-24 campaign.
The 30-year-old had not started a Premier League game since September before being drafted back into the XI against Liverpool, prior to which he also began the Red Devils' fatal 1-0 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich.
The Bundesliga champions have been heavily linked with an approach for Varane should he call time on his Old Trafford career, but the 30-year-old's hefty pay packet could scupper their chances of a deal.
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Teams in Saudi Arabia are also attentive to the situation and would have no problem bowing to Varane's economic demands, but the ex-France international does not believe that his Manchester chapter is closed just yet.
Varane has scored two goals and set up one more in 77 appearances for Man United since leaving Real Madrid in the summer of 2021, helping Man United end their trophy drought with EFL Cup glory in their debut season.
Twelve months ago, Man United triggered one-year contract extensions for all of Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot, Fred and Marcus Rashford, but the club elected against activating an identical option for David de Gea.
The Spaniard ultimately left the Red Devils as a free agent this summer on the back of a Golden Glove-winning campaign, and he remains without a club heading into the New Year.
Andre Onana was signed as De Gea's successor, but following a string of error-strewn performances in between the posts, the Cameroonian has admitted that his start to the season has not been good enough.
Ben Knapton
