Chelsea
Chelsea To Table Formal Bid For €42m-Rated Man Utd Target
Jose Mourinho has made Raphael Varane a key summer target and will make a formal move for the Real Madrid centre-back – who is also interesting Man Utd.
The January transfer window may be closed but that won’t stop the newspapers from speculating ahead of the summer so we’ll bring you all the news and gossip. Today, Chelsea are ready to make their move for Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane…
Jose Mourinho has made Raphael Varane a key summer target and will make a formal move for the Real Madrid centre-back following Wednesday’s disappointing European exit, according to the Telegraph.
The Blues crashed out of the Champions League following a 2-2 draw with PSG at Stamford Bridge in midweek with the French champions scoring twice from set pieces to highlight a major weakness in the Chelsea back-line.
It’s understood Mourinho has been left disappointed by how easily David Luiz and Thiago Silva scored headers during the feisty draw on Wednesday but it’s not the first time Chelsea have been undone in the air as the last five goals they’ve conceded have all come from headers.
The Telegraph claim that the Portuguese coach has now privately admitted he needs to strengthen his defence this summer and will make a formal bid for Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane.
Mourinho knows Varane well from their time together at the Bernabeu and he’s made no secret of his admiration for the Frenchman, claiming last month that he and Kurt Zouma are the best two young centre-backs in world football.
“I think the French Federation should write me a letter to thank me because I think they have now the best two young central defenders in the world. I’m not saying the best because they are young. There are obviously end products, mature players, 24, 25, 28, 30-year-olds.
“But as young defenders can you imagine what Varane and Zouma can represent in football in a couple of years?” Mourinho is quoted as saying by the Telegraph
Varane has grown increasingly frustrated with his bit-part role at Madrid this season with the 21-year-old struggling to displace Pepe and Sergio Ramos from Carlo Ancelotti’s starting eleven on a regular basis.
Should Chelsea be successful in luring the former Lens defender to West London this summer, then it will call into question Gary Cahill’s future at the club. John Terry has been excellent this season and is expected to sign a new one-year deal, so if Varane comes in it looks like it will be Cahill’s who’s sacrificed from the back four.
However, Chelsea aren’t the only ones interested in Varane as Manchester United have also been strongly linked with a move for the player with Louis van Gaal on the look-out for a top class central defender to build his defence around next season.
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It remains to be seen how Madrid will react to Chelsea and United’s interest but with Varane contracted until 2020, the European champions will be under no pressure to sell and it’s understood it would take a fee in excess of €42m (£30m) to persuade them to cash-in.
Both Chelsea and United could easily afford that kind of money and I think Varane would be an excellent signing for either club if they could get a deal agreed this summer.
