Zidane: Varane will stay at Real

Zinedine Zidane reiterated that defender Raphael Varane would remain with Real Madrid beyond this season.

Varane, 26, has been linked to the likes of Manchester United and Juventus after eight seasons with the La Liga giant.

The France international is contracted until 2022 and Madrid head coach Zidane said his compatriot would stay at the Santiago Bernabeu.

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“The positive point of this season finale is that Varane will stay,” he told a news conference after Madrid’s shock 1-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.

Zidane has a rebuild ahead of him at Madrid after returning to the helm of the club in March.

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The loss to relegation-threatened Rayo continued what has been a poor league campaign for Madrid, which is set to finish third in the table.

An apologetic Zidane hopes his team can finish the season strongly, although he accepted it had little to play for.

“I’ve been gone for a while and now I’m back, I do not have any problems with that right now,” he said.

“The season has to end, because it’s true that we have complications and there’s nothing at stake. It’s complicated.

“We have to think about the future and finish the last three games well.”