Out of favour Manchester United defender Raphael Varane offered possible exit from Old Trafford as German giants Bayern Munich eye up transfer for 'unhappy' centre back

Manchester United's 'unhappy' centre back Raphael Varane has been linked with a move to German giants Bayern Munich.

Varane only joined United in 2021 in a £42m transfer from Real Madrid, and formed a solid partnership with Lisandro Martinez last season. 

However despite denying a fallout with the French defender, United boss Erik ten Hag has consistently opted to leave out the four-time Champions League winner. 

With the resurgence of Harry Maguire's form ten Hag has often picked 35-year-old Jonny Evans or Victor Lindelof to partner the Englishman, with Varane left on the bench. 

Now the the former Real Madrid man has been linked with an exit from Old Trafford that could happen in as soon as January. 

According to Sky Sports Germany, Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich have internally dicussed bringing the 30-year-old to the Allianz Arena. 

Varane could be available for as little as between €20million (£17.5m) to €30m (£26.2m), which seems a bargain for such an experience defender. 

However the real stumbbling block would be the Frenchman's wage, which at around £340,000 a week makes him one of the highest paid players at United. 

Despite such high wages, Varane has started just one of the last eight Manchester United games.

Ten Hag has insisted benching the World Cup winner was not the result of a fallout but merely a tactical decision. 

The Dutchman said: 'It is about tactical reasons why I chose these partnerships. I think Harry and Jonny did well.

‘What I said last year, Harry didn’t play a lot, so I was very happy with Rapha’s performances. I have always been happy with his performance. But in this moment, Harry is playing very well and there is internal competition.’

 It remains to be seen what happens with Varane going forward and whether or not he decides to push for a move or fight for his place is up in the air for now.