Raphael Varane: I want to stay at Real Madrid

Varane endured a disappointing 2015-16 campaign as his failure to displace either Sergio Ramos or Pepe in the heart of Madrid's defence was followed by an injury that ruled him out of both the Champions League final and Euro 2016.

The Frenchman has since been tipped to reunite with former Madrid boss Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, but he made it clear leaving was not an option as he spoke of "fresh motivation" in his Blancos career.

"I hope I'm allowed to start [the new season] with a clean slate. I want to go forward and keep improving," he said at Madrid's preseason retreat in Montreal, Marca reports.

"I have fresh motivation after five years at Madrid and hope to make new ground.

"Ending last season without playing in the Champions League or Euro finals was hard for me, but I intend to leave these adversities behind. At Madrid, I have all the conditions to keep improving. This club are a great opportunity for me and I want to stay here.

"[Paul Pogba] is my friend, but I last spoke to him a while ago, not recently. I don't know what he's thinking. Sure, he's a terrific player, but I don't know what he wants or will do and I think we already have a good team.

"The club will decide what they want to do and I have nothing to say about that."

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