Man Utd ‘offered’ Brazilian starlet during Varane negotiations

Manchester United have been handed the opportunity to sign Vinicius Jr as they try to smash out a transfer fee for Raphael Varane.

That’s according to the Mirror, who claim Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is looking to raise funds as he plots the signing of Kylian Mbappe.

Real are already in negotiations with United over the transfer of Varane, with the Red Devils reportedly close to agreeing personal terms with the defender.

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All that is left is for a fee to be agreed upon, with United valuing him at £45million and Real claiming he’s worth £55million.

During these discussions, though, Real reportedly offered United the chance to also sign Vinicius, their Brazilian winger.

The 21-year-old has made 118 appearances for Los Blancos but has only scored 15 goals in that time.

He has been hampered by inconsistency, failing to score more than three goals in any of his La Liga campaigns.

Vinicius is priced at £68.5m by Real but United view this as extortionate, preferring a loan move instead.

They have already splashed out £73m on Jadon Sancho and look set to spend another £50m on Varane, so may not be able to afford another big-money transfer.

As far as Nicky Butt is concerned, United should be concentrating on one player and one player only.

“It’s about getting the right players who will allow you to challenge for trophies,” he said. “It’s a winning club, so we can’t go this long without silverware.

“The biggest thing that needs addressing for me at Manchester United this summer is that centre-back position; we need a partner for Harry Maguire.

“It has to be someone that’s going to be compatible with Maguire. If you spend the kind of money you did on Harry Maguire, you then have to follow it up by bringing someone in who can play with him.

“He’s the club captain; Victor Lindelof is too similar to him. It needs to be someone with pure, blistering pace, someone who can play out from the back.

“Everyone talks about Raphael Varane. I understand he’s a little bit older than most people would perhaps like, but you just have to go back to the days of Teddy Sheringham.

“I think we bought him when he was 32, and we went and won the treble with him. If Varane is available, then I’d go all out for him.”