Raphael Varane's Man Utd move delayed over visa issues

Raphael Varane is yet to fly to England to seal his move to Manchester United as he has been held up by a visa issue.

United have agreed to sign the centre-back from Real Madrid in a deal worth around £40m, and he had been expected to jet over to Manchester on Monday to finalise the negotiations and put pen to paper on a contract.

However, as noted by The Telegraph, that is yet to happen because he is still waiting to be awarded the visa needed to work in England.

There is no indication of when that visa will arrive, but there's no risk of this move falling apart. Varane will get his visa eventually, it's just a case of playing the waiting game.

To complicate things even more, once Varane does eventually get over to England, he will have to enter into quarantine before being permitted to undergo his medical and sign his contract, so there is a good chance the deal for Varane could be delayed at least another week.

United kick their Premier League season off against Leeds on August 14, and the hope is that Varane will be ready to play a significant role in that match.

Varane will be looking forward to linking up with fellow Frenchman Paul Pogba, whom The Athletic note spoke 'at length' with the centre-back about life in Manchester before the Varane transfer was confirmed.

Just how long the two will have together in Manchester is up for debate. Pogba has entered the final 12 months of his contract at Old Trafford and sources have confirmed to 90min that the midfielder plans to evaluate all his options before making a final decision on his future.

Paris Saint-Germain are expected to make a formal approach for Pogba this summer, while Real Madrid and Juventus would be keen if he becomes a free agent next year.

Pogba has not ruled out remaining at United, whom he wants to see become genuine competitors for Premier League glory, but whether those in charge at Old Trafford will take the risk of allowing him to run his contract down is a different matter.