Raphael Varane
Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane looks closer and closer to the exit door with each passing day, with the hierarchy at Los Blancos also hinting towards a move away. According to Diario AS, the World Cup winner has been preparing for his departure for quite some time now, and has seemingly already informed his trusted confidants of his desire to leave in search of a fresh challenge.
With his contract expiring in 2022, this summer would be an ideal time to seek a transfer away, and Real Madrid will reportedly not step in his way. While a contract extension is not completely ruled out, Real are not putting in any extra efforts to renew his deal, and even if Varane decides to stay, he has to accept a pay cut. With David Alaba already on his way to the club, the La Liga side know that they can bring in some much-needed funds by offloading the 28-year-old Varane.
Real Madrid’s minimum asking price is €70m, and alongside Chelsea, one of the contenders for his signature is Manchester United. According to Deportes Cuatro (via Bernabeu Digital), the Red Devils are willing to go as high as €85m to acquire the Frenchman’s services. Another hypothesis is using the France international as makeweight in the deal to sign Kylian Mbappe from PSG. However, Varane has seemingly not made up his mind about his future yet, and will wait until the end of the season before coming to a final decision.
✈ El central francés está más fuera que dentro del #RealMadridhttps://t.co/5RYUFywDvY
— Diario AS (@diarioas) April 26, 2021
Ibrahima Konate
It was reported that Ibrahima Konate had reached an agreement over personal terms with Liverpool, and the Daily Mail and The Telegraph have further reiterated that stance. While Liverpool posted a pre-tax loss on their latest financial statement, that shouldn’t scupper a move for the France U21 international, with the Reds prepared to meet his £40m buy-out clause once the Bundesliga season ends.
The Premier League club plan on raising funds by offloading Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri in the next transfer window, although their ability to sign Konate could also hinge on qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
Liverpool are still planning on signing RB Leipzig defender Ibrahima Konate for £40m this summer https://t.co/cv4uc13m2p
— MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) April 27, 2021
Fikayo Tomori
AC Milan’s stance on signing Fikayo Tomori permanently is pretty clear at this point. However there has been little news about the player’s own desires, apart from the occasional interview. According to Fabrizio Romano and Sky Italia (via Sport Witness), the Milan hierarchy have now met Tomori personally to learn of his future plans, which will then be used to gauge the viability of a permanent transfer.
Milan have seemingly communicated to Tomori about their desire to keep hold of him, and they now want to know the 23-year-old’s interest in staying in Italy for the foreseeable future, which would also help the Rossoneri in trying to (unsuccessfully?) bring down the asking price. The final decision will however only be made at the end of the season.
AC Milan board had a meeting today with Fikayo Tomori to discuss about his future. #CFC are not open to negotiate on €28m buy option, as of today - final decision will be made at the end of the season.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 28, 2021
AC Milan also met with agents of Feyenoord midfielder Kökçü. @SkySport