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RAPHAEL VARANE AGREES PERSONAL TERMS TO JOIN MANCHESTER UNITED

Manchester United have reached an agreement over personal terms with Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane ahead of a summer move. The two clubs, however, are still yet to agree on a transfer fee for the Frenchman.

Varane has grown into one of the most successful defenders in the game during his ten-year stint with Real Madrid. Having arrived as a teenager from RC Lens in 2011, the 28-year-old grew into a stalwart at the Santiago Bernabeu, going on to win as many as three La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League trophies, among other honours.

But as he enters the final year of his contract with Los Blancos, Varane has his sights set on a new challenge this summer, with Manchester United emerging as the likeliest destination. The report claims that the Red Devils have made multiple approaches over the past four years, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has wanted to make the switch in the past, only to be convinced to stay put by Zinedine Zidane.

However, with Zidane no longer the manager, Varane has made up his mind to leave and, to that end, is believed to have turned down a four-year contract offer worth a net €7 million per season.

Instead, the France international seemingly has his heart set on a transfer to Manchester United, with whom he is already to said to have reached a ‘pre-agreement’ over personal terms. Indeed, the report claims that Varane has agreed a five-year deal with the 20-time English champions as part of which he will pocket a handsome €12 million per season, a figure that Real Madrid were unwilling to match.

What now remains is that the two clubs agree on a transfer fee for the World Cup winner, contrary to what previous reports have claimed. Manchester United are willing to offer €45 million to secure Varane’s signing. But Real Madrid are holding out for a €60 million fee and would be open to doing a deal for €55 million plus €5 million in add-ons.

It remains to be seen if Manchester United are willing to raise their offer to match Real Madrid’s demands in the coming weeks. As for Varane, the 28-year-old is understood to be ready to force a transfer to Old Trafford if the Merengues do not relent from their current demands, which boosts the Red Devils’ chances of landing him.

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MAN UNITED CLOSING IN ON VARANE DEAL

Manchester United are close to finalizing a deal for Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane, sources say.

The France international, whose contract at Bernabeu is due to expire in June 2022, is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s top defensive target and sources have said that United are ready to move for the 28-year-old after receiving encouragement that Madrid are prepared to negotiate a realistic fee for the player.

United will complete their first major piece of transfer business this summer by signing Borussia Dortmund and England forward Jadon Sancho for £72.9 million ($100m) once the 21-year-old’s involvement at Euro 2020 comes to a conclusion, but a move for an experienced defender is the next issue to be addressed by football director John Murtough.

A source at Manchester United confirmed there had been “some discussions” regarding Varane, but added that no time frame for a transfer is in place.

United had been considering Villarreal’s defender Pau Torres as an alternative, but efforts to sign Varane have now been stepped up following France’s surprise exit from Euro 2020 in the wake of Tuesday’s round-of-16 defeat against Switzerland.

Despite Varane’s diminishing contract, Madrid had initially valued the centre-half at €70m ($83m) — a figure that United regarded as too high for a player entering the final year of his contract.

But with Madrid needing to offload players to fund a rebuild of Carlo Ancelotti’s squad, United are confident that a deal can be done for a fee in the region of €50m ($59m).

Madrid could use the money raised by the departure of Varane to move for Torres, who has a €65m ($77m) release clause at Europa League winners Villarreal.

The 24-year-old has impressed for Spain at Euro 2020 and with Varane set to follow Sergio Ramos out of the Bernabeu — Ramos is leaving as a free agent — Madrid need reinforcements at the back.

Madrid’s interest in Torres could be placed on hold for 12 months, however, if the Spanish club opt instead to pursue moves for Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe.

Madrid’s financial position is complicated, and a “galactico” signing would mean Torres would have to wait until 2022.

Sources told ESPN the defender remains a Madrid target though, “whether it’s for now or for next year,” and Torres’ preference would be to stay in Spain rather than try the Premier League.

Villarreal have also received interest in star forward Gerard Moreno, but the club are in a healthy financial state and do not need to offload players this summer.

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SERGIO RAMOS NEARS PSG MOVE ON FREE TRANSFER

Paris Saint-Germain are in advanced negotiations to sign Sergio Ramos on a free transfer after the defender’s Real Madrid contract expired on Wednesday, sources have confirmed.

Ramos announced last month that he would leave Madrid after failing to reach an agreement to extend his 16-year stay in the Spanish capital.

Sources close to the deal said that things have advanced throughout the week and a final decision is expected in the coming days.

Ramos wants a two-year deal but PSG are only offering one with a second year as an option to be triggered by mutual content. His wages should also be lower than what he was earning in Spain and what he would have earned had he stayed at the Bernabeu.

The Spain international, who turned 35 in March, didn’t strike an agreement with Madrid due to discrepancies over the length of the deal.

Los Blancos were only willing to offer one year and by the time Ramos agreed to accept the club’s proposal he was told the deadline had expired.

ESPN previously reported that both Manchester City and Bayern Munich are also monitoring Ramos’ situation but various sources said he prefers PSG’s offer.

Sporting director Leonardo presented a project that four-time Champions League winner Ramos considered “ambitious,” sources say.

Ramos views Paris as a more attractive destination for his family and believes the adaption process would be much quicker in France, where he would link up with former teammates Angel Di Maria and Keylor Navas, as well as close friend Neymar who has been on the phone to convince him to accept PSG’s offer.

Sources detail how PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino has asked the club to strengthen in defence after they missed out on the Ligue 1 title to Lille and were beaten by Manchester City in the Champions League semifinal.

Pochettino has Presnel Kimpembe, Marquinhos, Abdou Diallo and Thilo Kehrer, all aged below 28, and feels the side lacks leadership and experience at the back to compete at the top level.

At first, PSG didn’t view signing a new centre-back as a priority but the emergence of Ramos on a free transfer has been viewed as an opportunity not to be missed.

PSG had been tracking Ramos’ situation throughout the season but didn’t want to make a move until his future at Madrid was decided. Therefore, it was only on June 16 that sporting director Leonardo stepped up negotiations.

The French side have already signed midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum on a free transfer this summer and are close to securing deals for goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and Inter Milan right-back Achraf Hakimi for around €70 million.

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SERGIO RAMOS SET TO LEAVE REAL MADRID AFTER SIXTEEN YEARS WITH THE SPANISH CLUB

Real Madrid have confirmed Sergio Ramos will leave the club.

The 35-year-old, who has been with Madrid since 2005, will depart at the end of his contract this summer.

The La Liga club announced on Wednesday evening that they will host a farewell to the defender on Thursday, followed by a press conference.

A short statement on the club website read: “Real Madrid C. F. announces that tomorrow, Thursday 17 June, at 12:30pm, an institutional act of tribute and farewell to our captain Sergio Ramos will be held, which will be attended by our president Florentino Perez.

“Sergio Ramos will then appear before the media in a virtual press conference.”

Ramos arrived at the Bernabeu 16 years ago following a switch from Sevilla and went on to have a glittering career.

He won five La Liga titles, four Champions League crowns as well as the Copa Del Rey twice.

It was during his time in the Spanish capital that he also won the 2010 World Cup with Spain along with back-to-back European Championships in 2008 and 2012.

Injuries took their toll in the most recent campaign, though, as he played just 21 times as Madrid lost out in the title race to city rivals Atletico while also going out at the semi-final stage of the Champions League.

Ramos will be a free agent and a host of top clubs are already reported to be interested in signing him.

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ZINEDINE ZIDANE RESIGNS AS REAL MADRID COACH

Zinedine Zidane has resigned as Real Madrid manager with immediate effect, according to media reports, just days after the club were beaten to the La Liga title by Atletico Madrid. The Frenchman’s reported departure comes at the end of a disappointing campaign for the 13-time European champions, who also lost to Chelsea in the Champions League semi-finals as they failed to win a trophy for the first time in 11 seasons.

Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano broke what he called “exclusive” news in a tweet which was picked up by Spanish sports outlets including Madrid sports dailies Marca and AS, and the radio station Cadena Ser.

An official announcement of his departure, said Romano, would be made “in the next hours/days”.

Only 10 days ago Zidane, who has a contract until 2022, denied media speculation that he had already told his players that he would be leaving at the end of the season.

“How am I going to tell my players that I am going now? It’s a lie,” he said after a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao.

“I focus on this season. There is a game left and we are going to give everything. I only care what happens in this finale.”

But, perhaps tellingly, he added: “The rest, we will see at the end of the season.”

If confirmed, it marks the end of Zidane’s second spell in charge of the Spanish giants.

The 1998 World Cup winner first took the helm in January 2016 and guided Real to the 2017 La Liga title and an unprecedented hat-trick of Champions League titles before abruptly quitting on May 31, 2018.

He returned in 2019, winning a second La Liga crown in 2020 and the Spanish Super Cup.

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LUKA MODRIC SIGNS CONTRACT EXTENSION TO STAY AT REAL MADRID FOR ANOTHER SEASON

Veteran midfielder Luka Modric has signed a contract extension which will keep him at Real Madrid until the end of next season, the La Liga giants announced on Tuesday. The 35-year-old Croatian international, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2018, has played 391 times for Madrid since joining from Tottenham in 2012.

“The Croatian midfielder will remain at our club until 30 June, 2022,” Real said in a short statement.

Modric has remained a key player for Zinedine Zidane’s men this season, scoring six goals in 48 appearances.

“Happy and proud to continue wearing the jersey of the best team in the world,” he said on Twitter.

It was a very disappointing season for the 13-time European champions though, losing to Chelsea in the Champions League semi-finals and being pipped to the La Liga title by Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

Questions remain about the futures of coach Zidane and long-serving defender Sergio Ramos ahead of the 2021-22 campaign.

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ATLETICO MADRID BEAT REAL MADRID TO LA LIGA TITLE ON FINAL DAY

Atletico Madrid have won La Liga for the first time since 2014 after a final-day 2-1 comeback win at Real Valladolid saw them clinch the title ahead of rivals Real Madrid.

Valladolid had taken a half-time lead over Atletico before goals from Angel Correa and Luis Suarez turned the score around. Madrid’s late turnaround to beat Villarreal 2-1 was irrelevant due to Atletico’s result.

The results mean Diego Simeone’s team end the season on 86 points, two ahead of second-placed Madrid and seven above third-placed Barcelona.

It’s the eleventh time that Atletico have been crowned champions of Spain, with just three of them coming in the last 40 years, in 1996, 2014 and now 2021.

Simeone has now won two La Liga titles, a Copa del Rey and a Supercopa Espana in a decade in charge, as well as two Europa League successes and two UEFA Super Cups.

Atletico have been title favourites for much of the season, leading the league table since December 5 when they went top with a 2-0 win, also over Valladolid.

Key to their early-season success was the form of forward Suarez — who was deemed surplus to requirements at Barcelona last summer — who scored 16 goals in his first 17 games.

The role of Marcos Llorente, converted into an attacking midfielder this season by coach Simeone, has also been crucial, bagging 12 goals and 11 assists.

By January 31, a 4-2 victory at Cadiz put Atletico 10 points clear of both Madrid and Barca in the title race.

That was followed by a more challenging spell, as Suarez’s goals dried up, and three losses and six draws allowed Atletico’s title rivals to begin to close the gap.

Two weeks ago, a rollercoaster matchday 35 saw Atletico drop more points in a 0-0 draw with Barcelona at Camp Nou — in what looked like a potentially decisive result — only for Madrid to be held 2-2 by Sevilla a day later.

Last weekend, with all ten matchday 37 games being played simultaneously, Atletico looked to have blown their title chances when they went 1-0 down at home to Osasuna, with Real leading by the same scoreline at Athletic Bilbao.

Two goals in the last ten minutes from Renan Lodi and Suarez turned the race on its head, a 2-1 win setting up Saturday’s dramatic league finale.

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REAL MADRID KEEP TITLE HOPES ALIVE WITH WIN AT ATHLETICO BILBAO

Real Madrid kept their La Liga title hopes alive with a 1-0 victory at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

The win gives Zinedine Zidane’s men 81 points with one game to play — two points behind leaders Atletico Madrid who rallied to a late victory against Osasuna to stay atop the standings heading into the final matchday.

The result ensures the neck-and-neck title race will be decided next Sunday, when Real host Villarreal and Atletico travel to Valladolid.

It took some time, but Real finally got their critical goal in the 68th minute. After some fine work from Casemiro — who’d hit the crossbar with a header minutes earlier — Nacho bundled home with his knee at the far post after the Brazilian dragged a cross past two defenders and found the unsuspecting goal scorer unmarked.

The win comes after sources told ESPN that the Bernabeu club are expecting Zidane to leave his post at season’s end, with Massimiliano Allegri and club legend Raul leading the shortlist to replace the Frenchman.

“Obviously we wanted to win, and for Atleti to drop points, but there’s a long way to go still,” Nacho said.

“They came back to win at the death and that shows things aren’t easy. We just need to concentrate on ourselves and see how it goes next time out [against Villarreal next Sunday].

“You can see how tough it was for them to win. In the game of football anything can happen, we need to fight until the last, that’s our job.

“It’s a tough place to come and win. Bilbao give up few chances, but we were great in defence. It was more difficult up top, but we were compact and we got the three points which is all that matters.”

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LA LIGA: REAL MADRID BATTLE TO VICTORY TO CLOSE GAP AHEAD TITLE BATTLE

Real Madrid lifted themselves to within two points of La Liga’s summit on Saturday evening with a 2-0 victory over Osasuna, but they were made to work extremely hard by their dogged opponents at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano.

Madrid knew they had to win to keep the pressure on Atletico Madrid at the top of La Liga, and they flew out of the traps accordingly, taking aim at the Osasuna goal. Los Blancos were particularly wasteful however, missing the target on a number of occasions, as the visitors managed to survive until half-time.

Zinedine Zidane’s men didn’t take their foot off the gas in the second half, with Eder Militao firing high and wide on the volley. Rodrygo took matters into his own hands with a mazy run and shot, but he dragged his effort slightly wide, as the nerves began to jangle in the Spanish capital.

It looked as if Madrid were destined to fall further behind leaders Atleti, but with 15 minutes remaining on the clock, the defending champions struck. Isco floated a corner into the heart of the penalty area, and Militao rose highest to plant a superb header into the top corner of Sergio Herrera’s net.

The relief across Zidane’s face was clear for all to see, as he punched the air with delight. Madrid controlled possession and swiftly killed the game on 80 minutes, albeit in freakish style.

Karim Benzema charged forward with the ball and tried to slip a pass through to Casemiro, but the Brazilian took an extremely heavy touch when entering the box.

However, the goalkeeper was fooled by the poor control, and the ball trickled apologetically past him and over the line, allowing Madrid to play out the final 10 minutes in comfort. Los Blancos now sit in second place, only two points behind Atleti with four games left to play.

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ZINEDINE ZIDANE INSISTS REAL MADRID STILL IN TITLE RACE AFTER GOALESS DRAW WITH BETIS

Zinedine Zidane insisted Real Madrid’s LaLiga title hopes were not over after a damaging goalless home draw with Real Betis.

Real are two points behind city neighbours Atletico with five games left to play.

Atletico have a game in hand, away to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, while Barcelona – who have played two games fewer than Real – would draw level with them by winning at Villarreal.

“The league is five games to go, that’s still a lot,” Real boss Zidane said at his post-match press conference.

“We lost two points, but we’re going to keep fighting.

“Defensively we were good, but offensively we lacked a lot and were not very fine at the top.

“The league did not end today. The league remains, the others have to play.”

Real were without Ferland Mendy and Toni Kroos ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final first-leg tie with Chelsea.

But Belgium forward Eden Hazard made a cameo appearance in the final 15 minutes to mark his return from six weeks out injured.

“It has given good feelings,” Zidane said of Hazard’s return. “I am happy.

“He is one that is going to contribute, we are going to take advantage of that until the end of the season.

“The intention is that Mendy and Kroos return (for Chelsea), but we have to see.

“We have to recover as Tuesday is going to be the most difficult of the season.”

Betis midfielder Guido Rodriguez was satisfied with a fifth successive draw, which leaves the Andalusians in sixth place and clinging on to a Europa League spot.

“We’ve had quite a few draws not but these games are always very difficult,” Rodriguez told LaLiga TV.

“It’s important that we keep moving on and battling to finish in the Europa League places.

“They didn’t create any chances in the first half, the game opened up a bit more in the second half.

“We’ve had three games this week and the players have put in a lot of effort.”