KEY POINTS

  • The 23-year-old fullback featured last season under Louis van Gaal.
  • Varela previously admitted he came close to leaving Old Trafford in January.

Eintracht Frankfurt have reportedly held discussions with Manchester United about taking Guillermo Varela on a season-long loan. The 23-year-old Uruguayan faces an uncertain future following the recent arrival of Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford.

The fullback is a transfer target of the German club, who are discussing plans to include an option-to-buy in the loan agreement, according to Kicker. Talks are still at a preliminary stage, but the deal could see Varela swap the Premier League for the Commerzbank-Arena.

Varela was the first player signed by the then-United manager David Moyes in the summer of 2013, but had to wait two-and-a-half years for his first appearance for the Red Devils. Despite featuring under Louis van Gaal last season, he has failed to cement his place in the United first-team and could join Frankfurt before the transfer window closes.

Earlier this year, Varela admitted he almost left United in the January transfer window, but said he was convinced to stay by Van Gaal. Varela featured prominently for United during a mid-season injury crisis before he was once again relegated to playing with the club's Under-21 side for the last few weeks of the campaign.

"First I wanted to leave, but Louis van Gaal asked me to stay," he told Tirando Paredes, according to the Manchester Evening News. "He gave me the opportunity and luckily I've played for many matches in a row."

New United boss Jose Mourinho has already signed defender Eric Bailly this summer and has suggested there could be more transfer moves before the start of the new campaign. Although the Ivorian is primarily a centre-back, he also operated as a fullback for his previous club Villarreal.