Manchester United in Contract Talks with Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial, Confirms Erik ten Hag
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has confirmed that the club is in contract talks with Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial. At the beginning of the year, several United players’ contracts were set to expire at the end of the season. The club has already triggered one-year extensions for Victor Lindelof, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Hannibal Mejbri. However, the futures of Varane, Martial, Jonny Evans, Tom Heaton, and Sofyan Amrabat are still uncertain.
Reports had suggested that United was interested in keeping Varane but would not activate the extension clause in his contract. It is believed that the club wants to negotiate a reduction in wages, as Varane is currently the highest earner at £340,000-a-week. This decision has not been well-received by the French defender, who feels he is being pushed out of the club.
Ten Hag addressed these reports in his pre-match press conference ahead of United’s FA Cup third-round tie at Wigan. He confirmed that the club is in talks with Varane and Martial and described it as an internal discussion between the club and the players.
While many fans would be happy to see Varane stay, the same cannot be said for Martial. The French forward has faced heavy criticism this season and has scored only 12 Premier League goals in the last four seasons. There were also questions about Jadon Sancho’s status, with the winger set to return to Borussia Dortmund on loan. However, Ten Hag did not provide any updates on that matter.
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