RC Lens president Joseph Oughourlian has said that he “dreams” of signing Raphaël Varane (31), who is a free agent following his departure from Manchester United, however, he rejected reports that any deal is close.

Varane played for Lens as a youngster before going onto to establish himself as one of the best centre-backs in Europe with Real Madrid and the France national team. He then went on to play for Manchester United and last month, the Red Devils announced that the Frenchman’s contract would not be renewed. He will therefore leave the Premier League side on a free transfer.

He has opened the door to a return to Les Sang et Or, stating that “anything is possible”, however, that may not be easy with the purse strings being tightened at the club. With the club looking to raise funds, perhaps through the sales of Elye Wahi and Brice Samba, it remains to be seen whether Lens will heavily invest in repatriating one of their finest exports.

“I don’t have this news that a deal is advance […] For an investment like that, someone probably would have consulted me,” said OUghourlian in a press conference on Monday. He added, “For me, the fan that I am, it’s my dream but for the president, there is no negotiation, we will have to see the financial elements.”

GFFN | Luke Entwistle