Raphael Varane: 'I nearly joined Manchester United'

Raphael Varane has revealed that he came close to joining Manchester United before leaving Lens for Real Madrid in 2011.

The Frenchman reportedly cost Los Blancos £8m from the Ligue 1 side, but the defender could have been lining up at Old Trafford instead.

"We were close to an agreement with Manchester United. My mom speaks English and this facilitated the translation," Varane told Telefoot.

"There was also an interesting project [on offer] but I made a choice for my career.

"I think I can go higher and mark my generation. I would be happy to tell myself I did the maximum and went as far as I could during my career."

Varane, 21, has 17 international caps to his name and has already captained France's senior team.