According to journalist Simon Phillips, Chelsea have discussed internally about signing Manchester United centre-back Raphael Varane.
The London giants strengthened their central defence in the summer with Axel Disasi but they are looking to reinforce their options further in 2024. Thiago Silva is already 39 years of age and Chelsea would need to find a successor for him sooner rather than later.
Phillips has now revealed that a member of the Chelsea board has recommended co-owner Todd Boehly and the Blues to sign Varane from Man United. However, the journalist added that his sources believe a move is unlikely on the cards.
Unlikely deal
Varane had a wonderful and illustrious career at Real Madrid before he choose to move to the Premier League with United. He has been an important player for the club, but his playing time has drastically reduced in recent times. The Frenchman was a regular on the substitutes’ bench before the international break with Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans starting over him.
Yesterday, Florian Plettenberg revealed that Varane could be available for £17-26 million in the January transfer market and it is left to be seen whether Chelsea will make a move. Silva has been a huge hit for Chelsea despite arriving in the final phase of his career, but the club have since changed their transfer policy and have focused on signing players, who have room to develop with them.
Varane definitely does not fall into that category. He is no longer in the peak of his playing career and his position at United seems doubtful heading into January. On top of this, his injury record has been concerning for some time and Chelsea may not want to take a risk with them, given they have already had similar problems. Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah and Benoit Badiashile have not played a single minute this season due to injuries.
