Rob Dawson, CorrespondentDec 20, 2023, 07:16 AM ET
Erik ten Hag wants to keep Raphaël Varane and Casemiro at Manchester United in the January transfer window, a source has told ESPN.
Both players have been linked with moves away from Old Trafford next month but Ten Hag is keen to keep the pair, at least until the end of the season.
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Casemiro has missed the last two months with a hamstring injury while Varane has only recently won back his place in the team after a spell on the sidelines.
With no European football in the new year and only the Premier League and the FA Cup left to play for, Ten Hag is willing to reduce the size of his squad in January and has already sanctioned Donny van de Beek’s loan move to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Raphaël Varane has recently won back his place in Manchester United’s starting lineup. Getty
Jadon Sancho, exiled from the squad since September, is also expected to leave but Casemiro and Varane are still considered important players.
A source has told ESPN that the situation may change if the pair actively push to leave, but in that instance Ten Hag would ask for the club to sign replacements, which would be complicated by the need to stay compliant with Financial Fair Play rules.
Speaking at the December fans’ forum, sporting director John Murtough told supporters that United would have to be “really disciplined” when it comes to signing new players.
“We are not expecting it [the January transfer window] to be particularly busy,” Murtough said.
“There will always be the possibility of deals around the edges of the squad, particularly in terms of finding opportunities for players who are not playing as much football as they would like.
“We have seen this season that Financial Fair Play rules have real teeth, so we have to be very careful to ensure we remain compliant, and we will. That means being really disciplined on spending going forward, with a balance between incomings and outgoings.”
United remain open to cut-price deals in January with intermediaries raising the possibility of Borussia Dortmund’s Donyell Malen and Sancho moving in opposite directions.
Malen is ready to leave the Bundesliga side because of a lack of playing time and Sancho is available for transfer following his public row with Ten Hag.
A source has told ESPN that Malen, 24, is valued at around £25 million ($31.6m) by Dortmund and a swap deal involving Sancho could become an option, although direct talks are yet to take place.
