Raphael Varane could become a free agent in the summer with his contract at Manchester United set to expire a year earlier than previously publicised.

The terms of Varane’s contract are such that his current deal with the club expires at the end of this season, with the option of an additional year.

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When Varane joined from Real Madrid in August 2021 United stated he had signed paperwork “keeping him at the club until June 2025” and during the defender’s recent absence from Erik ten Hag’s team there has been a perception the club could sell him at the end of this season if desired.

However, discussions about his future will need to occur sooner than that with the 30-year-old able to talk to foreign clubs in January.

According to regulations, players entering the final six months of their deals can talk to non-British clubs and sign a pre-contract agreement. In Varane’s case, any move would be subject to the additional year elapsing without being activated.

United could opt to allow Varane to go on a free if they wished to save a year of his salary, which equates to around £13million.

The exact terms of the plus one are unclear but it is usually either based on the player making a set number of appearances or, when such a clause does not exist, the club simply making a decision based on performances. United declined to comment.

United usually trigger the plus one options in these contracts to retain the player’s services, as they did with Jesse Lingard and Paul Pogba in recent years, or sell on, as they did with Fred. But United didn’t with David de Gea, allowing him to depart, and are unlikely to with Anthony Martial, as The Athletic reported earlier this week.

Varane joined United from Real two years ago in a deal worth an initial £34m rising to £42m with potential add-ons. He signed on wages close to £250,000 per week ($315,000) depending on appearances, the terms of which were made more performance-incentivised after his medical showed his knees required attention.

The French World Cup winner was one of United’s best players in Ten Hag’s debut season but has found himself on the bench this term, leading to a degree of tension between player and manager.

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The origins of Varane’s frustrations can be traced to United’s Carabao Cup tie against Newcastle United, when he had been slated for a place on the bench, three days after being dropped for Jonny Evans against Manchester City.

Varane, who had sustained a knock keeping him from a training session, reported an illness and attended Old Trafford for the Newcastle game on his own.

Varane was selected against Bayern Munich in United’s crunch Champions League tie for his first start in nearly seven weeks and played well. But he was unable to stop a 1-0 defeat that meant the club was eliminated from Europe.

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