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What's the rumour?
Manchester United's centre-back pursuit ended on what could arguably be deemed to be comical terms. Their long pursuit which was well documented did not bear fruit. In fact, it was difficult to find a high-profile centre-back from around Europe whose name wasn't linked with the Red Devils.
And now, according to The Sun, Manchester United were willing to spend as much as £100 million on Real Madrid centre-back and World Cup winner Raphael Varane.
In case you didn't know...
Manchester United were linked with Harry Maguire of Leicester City, Toby Alderweireld of Tottenham Hotspur, Yerry Mina (now Everton), Diego Godin of Atletico Madrid and Jerome Boateng of Bayern Munich.
However, Jerome Boateng reportedly called up Mourinho and told him he's grateful for the interest even though he doesn't want to move to Old Trafford. Leicester City's valuation of Harry Maguire was way too high.
Yerry Mina's agent fee was dastardly and hence United were forced to walk away. Diego Godin signed a new contract at Atletico Madrid and Toby Alderweireld looks likely to run out his contract at Tottenham Hotspur despite being frustrated at the club.
The heart of the matter
Manchester United's board and Jose Mourinho weren't exactly on the same page. The board wasn't convinced of the fact that any of the defenders that were linked with Manchester United were markedly better than the ones who are already on their payroll.
The Red Devils already have Eric Bailly, Marcos Rojo, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones. The board also didn't feel the need to bolster the backline.
Rumour rating/probability: 2/10
It's not like it matters anymore. Anyway, it's the Sun and since Varane's name wasn't extensively linked with Manchester United, it is highly unlikely that United even contacted Real Madrid regarding Varane in the first place.
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What's next?
Manchester United will play the new season without a new centre-back as the Premier League transfer window closed last night.
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