Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Raphael Varane's move to Manchester United may not be officially confirmed until next week.
What's the latest transfer news involving Varane?
The Red Devils announced on Tuesday evening that they had reached an agreement in principle with Real Madrid for Varane to move to Old Trafford this summer.
The player will now undergo his medical and personal terms will be finalised before the transfer is completed.
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When does Romano expect Varane to arrive in England for his medical?
Speaking on Tuesday on The Here We Go Podcast, Romano stated that Varane is expected to arrive in England later this week for his medical but claimed that it may still be a few more days after that until his move to United goes through.
Romano said: “They are planning about the quarantine because medicals won’t be tomorrow [Wednesday]. It will take some days to plan for everything. The player will be in England this week, maybe on Thursday or Friday – they are planning it with Varane’s camp – but the medicals will be completed immediately after, and then for the official announcement it will take some days, so it will be maybe next week, I would say, all the Varane stuff for Manchester United fans.”
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Is this delay something new for Man United?
No it isn't.
In fact, United have already been through this process this summer when they wrapped up the signing of Jadon Sancho.
The 13-time Premier League champions announced on the opening day of July that they had agreed a deal in principle for the England man but then did not officially complete the move until last Friday.
Therefore, United and their fans are familiar with how this is likely to play out, and they must now be patient as the final details of the deal are sorted.
Would Man United have the best centre-back pairing in the Premier League?
With Varane on the verge of joining United, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set to have a centre-back pairing of the Frenchman and Harry Maguire to call upon next season. That looks to be a formidable partnership, given that Varane has won the World Cup and the Champions League four times, while Maguire reached the Euro 2020 final with England earlier this month.
Whether it's the best combination in the league remains to be seen, though. Manchester City's Ruben Dias and John Stones were exceptional last term as they helped Pep Guardiola's men to the Premier League title, while Chelsea utilised a back three of Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger, who helped the Blues win their second European Cup in May.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are in a similar situation to United, as they have new signing Ibrahima Konate coming in to play alongside an established player in Virgil van Dijk.
Right now, it is difficult to say which side has the best pairing but United look likely to be a force to be reckoned with once Varane comes into their starting line-up.