Real Madrid will demand any potential suitors for defender Raphael Varane pay the centre-back’s €500 million (£429m/$560m) release clause in full as they aim to do all they can to keep him at the club.
According to Goal, the Blancos have no desire to sell Varane, who remains a key part of the team having won the World Cup with France this past summer.
Their lack of flexibility when it comes to price is designed to send a message that Varane is effectively not for sale as well as confirming to the player himself that the club still values his contributions.
French newspaper L’Equipe recently reported that Varane is mulling over his future at the club as he appears to be in search of a new challenge, despite the recent return of compatriot Zinedine Zidane as manager.
The defender has a contract through 2023, making him difficult to pry away from the club, but Varane is also reportedly interested in pay rise befitting the status of a World Cup winner and four-time Champions League winner.
In recent weeks, Varane has been linked to Juventus and Manchester United, though he himself has not come out and spoken out against reports of him leaving the club.
Varane, who initially moved to Madrid from Lens in the summer of 2011, said he does not “feel like talking” about his future in a recent interview with Le Parisien.
But Zidane was very open about his plans for the central defender, saying he does not want Varane leaving the club any time soon.
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