Journalist Dean Jones has claimed that Manchester United are set to sign Raphael Varane for a cheaper price than they first anticipated.

What's the latest transfer news involving Varane?

It has been reported that Varane's move to Old Trafford has edged even nearer after United agreed a fee of £41m including add-ons with Real Madrid for the defender.

Previous reports had claimed that the Spanish giants were holding out for around €60m (£51.3m) but they are now set to receive significantly less than that from the 13-time Premier League champions.

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What did Dean Jones say this could mean for Man United?

Jones stated that United did not expect to sign Varane for such a low fee, and he now believes that the club could spend the extra money that they are set to have at their disposal on more transfers this summer, including trying to land Atletico Madrid's Kieran Trippier.

Speaking on The Football Terrace, Jones said: “The important thing about the Varane thing is that they’ve got him at even less than they thought they would. And what that’s done is it’s left them with a little bit more money aside to put into the other deals that they’ve got on the horizon.

“So that Kieran Trippier deal for example, where they were lowballing on £10m and Atletico want £30m. Okay, well you can start to meet them in the middle now with the £5-£6m that you’ve saved on Varane because they had a budget of £50m for a centre-back which they were going to go and put on Pau Torres or somebody. So, that changes things a little bit.”

To hear everything that Jones had to say on Varane, listen to the video below...

Could this be the best window if the post-Ferguson era at United?

It certainly has the potential to be.

Last week, the Red Devils completed the signing of Jadon Sancho for £73m, while Borussia Dortmund reportedly wanted €120m (£102.7m) for the winger last summer. Now, they are set to add Varane to their ranks.

Signing two high-profile players for reasonable fees is a big change from many of the other transfer windows that United have had over the last eight years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

The club have endured some shocking windows over the years, including spending £67.5m on Angel Di Maria in 2014 and over £30m on Alexis Sanchez four years later. The pair went on to score just four and five goals respectively for United.

This summer, though, they seem to have finally got their recruitment spot on.

What's the difference at Man United this summer?

United's success in the market this time around could be put down to the internal changes that have been happening behind the scenes at the club in recent times.

Back in March, John Murtough was promoted to the role of Football Director, Matt Judge was appointed the club's new Director of Football Negotiations, and Darren Fletcher was named as United's Technical Director.

All three seem to now be playing a more prominent roles in getting transfers over the line, and that could explain why United have had such an impressive summer to date.