“He will leave…” – Manchester United star’s future confirmed amid Chelsea demand

Manchester United are set for major changes in the summer transfer window, with Chelsea being told to move for one of the departing stars.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS will be hoping to offload several players within the first-team squad at Old Trafford.

There is a need for a reshuffle at United, but the club also must sell to buy in the upcoming transfer window, so departures will be needed for extra room in the squad.

Many players have uncertain futures, but it appears that Raphaël Varane’s next move has been decided after it was confirmed the club would not offer him a new deal on his current wages.

The French defender’s contract at Old Trafford runs out at the end of the season but there is a clause in his deal which allows an additional year to be added.

United have not activated this, mainly due to the current wages that Varane is earning. They were reportedly working towards getting the defender to sign new terms on reduced wages.

However, a new report from Mark Ogden of ESPN has stated that Varane will be leaving the club at the end of the season as his contract expires.

The departures of him and Anthony Martial are expected to save from £450,000-a-week in wages.

Varane’s next move is unknown, but ex-defender Glen Johnson has urged his former club Chelsea to make a move for the experienced Frenchman.

“Yes, definitely. Good players like that don’t come around often and they certainly come around less often on a free transfer,” Johnson told BetFred.

“I know he’s not the Varane he was three or four years ago but he’s still a bloody good player.

“Yes, he’s had his injury problems, but that’s what outweighs the transfer fee – if you’re buying him on a free and he’s only playing 40% of the games, then that’s still a good deal to do. 

“As we saw with Thiago Silva, those sort of players who have done everything, played for top teams and clubs, they get the attention of the dressing room and they’re the big names that the younger players want to look up to and obviously they’re great to have around.

“So, if you have got a chance with Varane on a free transfer and he’s only going to play 50% of the games, I still think it’s a good deal.”