Manchester United keen to extend defender’s contract

Manchester United have reached an agreement to sign Raphael Varane from Real Madrid. The signing would be a massive boost to the club’s defence.

But his arrival could also mean that a few players see their playing time reduced. As a result, the Red Devils appear to be preparing to let players leave on loan so that they can get regular playing time elsewhere.

As reported by Sky Sports, Manchester United will look to extend Axel Tuanzebe’s contract before potentially allowing him to leave on loan this summer. His current deal runs out next summer although the club have the option of extending it by an additional 12 months.

Tuanzebe has been a highly-rated prospect at the club for years now and is also known for his leadership qualities. But he is yet to establish himself in the first-team picture at Old Trafford.

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Manchester United are keen to extend Tuanzebe’s current deal

Having spent a successful loan spell at Aston Villa, Tuanzebe returned to Old Trafford at the start of the 2019/20 campaign. But over the past two seasons, he has not gotten a lot of playing time. It must be pointed out though that injuries have been a reason for that as well, with the defender spending quite some time on the sidelines.

At the start of last season, it had looked like Tuanzebe was set for a breakthrough campaign after putting in an incredible performance against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. But it was not to be. According to stats from Transfermarkt, Tuanzebe made 19 appearances and featured for 918 minutes on the pitch in the 2020/21 season.

With Varane looking set to join the club, Tuanzebe could find himself behind the likes of Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly and the French World Cup winner in the pecking order. Thus, a loan spell away from the club in order to get first-team minutes might be the right decision for him at this point of time. It remains to be seen though if they are able to extend his contract.