Man Utd’s unseen combination, in Germany?…Kim Min-jae + Baran see ‘Wackle CB line’ → Munich discussion surges

Bayern Munich, struggling at center back with Kim Min-Jae alone, are making a surprise move for a world-class center back.

Sky Sports Germany reported on Nov. 21 (KST) that the Bavarians are in internal talks to sign Raphael Varane.

“Munich are discussing the signing of Varane internally. The internal opinion is interesting, but unrealistic at the moment because of his weekly wages,” the source said, adding, “It’s not a hot topic, but he will be observed until next week.”

Internally, Munich have reportedly asked Manchester United if a move for Varane is possible in the winter. However, a loan move is not being considered. The Bavarians have set a maximum price tag of €30 million ($42.4 billion) for Varane.

Varane is a legendary defender for the ages. He made his professional debut for Reims (France) in 2010 at the age of 17 and immediately caught the attention of French and European soccer. At 6-foot-2, he has quick feet and precise man-to-man defense. He was immediately recognized by Real Madrid.

At Real, Varane enjoyed countless successes. By the summer of 2021, he had spent 10 years with the club and played 360 games for them. With them, he won four UEFA Champions League titles, three La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey, and five FIFA Club World Cups.

After lifting countless trophies, Baran made the move to United on a whim. “I won the Champions League and the fans didn’t congratulate me, they said, ‘OK, next time,'” he said in an interview. We won the first one, and then we won it four times. Even then, the fans sent me messages saying, ‘Let’s win the next one,'” he said, recalling his time at Real. 캡틴토토 주소

“I just want to say that if you can enjoy it, you should enjoy it. Winning is a good thing. That’s what makes Madrid so special. It’s a special mentality.”

“It’s different. That’s why I wanted to change. It’s not that Real’s mentality wasn’t good, but it’s not bad either. It’s a good thing. It’s just that (I) wanted to try something different,” he said of his move to United.

In his first season at the club in 2021/22, Varane played 22 Premier League games and 1829 minutes due to injury, and the following season he was limited to 24 league appearances due to ankle, leg, and foot injuries. However, Baran was able to return to the Champions League this season as United maintained their good form in the final quarter of the season to secure their first Champions League spot in a long time.

However, this season has been a mixed bag for Varane. After being a fully-fledged first-choice center back at the start of the season, Harry Maguire has been used as an out-of-form reserve after an injury in late August. Jonny Evans, a 37-year-old center back, was brought in to partner Maguire. When Evans was injured, Viktor Lindelof was called up. Baran’s return from injury was controversial as head coach Eric Dier benched him for tactical reasons.

There were reports in England that Baran was unhappy with the situation and Turnbach reportedly had a private meeting with the player to explain. One explanation is that both Baran and Maguire are right-footed and Turnbull doesn’t want to play them together, but regardless, the long-term benching of one of United’s key defenders has been controversial.

According to the British edition of global sports outlet The Athletic, “Turnbach spoke to Varane and explained why he was not playing him. Baran has accepted the decision and is preparing to fight for a place in the squad again.”

Munich’s interest in Baran is understandable for any player with a lack of playing time. Add to that the fact that Munich have been playing a lot of games and have lost Matthias Düricht and Dayo Upamecano to injury, leaving Kim as the lone center back.

Kim has started every game since the start of the Bundesliga season. He hasn’t left the field since being substituted in the 35th minute against Augsburg in the second round of the league last August. He also started the first leg of the Group C match between South Korea and Singapore at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Sept. 16 in the second Asian qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup North America (co-hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico), taking his tally to 15 full-time appearances.

He has played a lot of league, cup, and Champions League games for Napoli, but this season will be even more demanding. He’s had very little rest since the end of last season, as he’s been in basic military training, and he’s been thrust straight into the starting lineup since his move to Munich.

While center backs are known to be the least physically demanding position other than goalkeepers, some were concerned about Kim’s overload as he continued to play full-time in the starting lineup with little rest between midweek and weekend games.

Especially before his transfer to Munich, there were rumors of a move to Man United. It was said that the Red Devils were very interested in him and that he would be a key center back alongside Varane and Lisandro Martinez. It didn’t work out for United, but we could see a Baran-Minjae combination in Munich.

The Bavarians needed another semi-professional center back, and they found one in Varane, who has a ton of experience at Real. Of course, we’re only talking about a transfer and nothing concrete has been offered. His salary of more than £17 million is not something Munich can easily afford in the winter transfer window in the middle of the season. We’ll have to wait and see how things play out next January when the winter transfer window opens.