Chelsea are ready to shell out €70 million to secure the services of Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane, who is also a target for Manchester United.
According to a report by Mundo Deportivo, Chelsea seem to have taken the lead in the race to sign Raphael Varane in the summer transfer window. The Blues are prepared to pay €70 million for the Real Madrid defender, who is also a target for rivals Manchester United and PSG.
Varane has etched his name in the annals of the game, having been a pivotal figure for Real Madrid in the past half-a-decade or so while also having won the FIFA World Cup 2018 with France. At club level, the 28-year-old has won every trophy till date while amassing 357 appearances for Los Blancos.
However, heading into the summer transfer window, Varane is facing an uncertain future at Real Madrid, with widespread reports suggesting that he is looking for greener pastures. This situation has piqued the interest of Manchester United and lately, Chelsea.
Manchester United’s interest in Varane makes sense, considering Harry Maguire has not had a regular partner at the heart of the defence, owing to Victor Lindelof’s troubles with a persistent back issue. With Eric Bailly, who has penned a new contract with the Red Devils, also struggling with injuries over the course of his stint at Old Trafford, it becomes important to sign a top class centre-back.
Chelsea, on the other hand, are the latest entrants in pursuit of Varane, but their pursuit is also understandable, seeing as Thiago Silva is in the twilight of his career while Fikayo Tomori and Antonio Rudiger have their futures under a cloud of uncertainty. To that end, the Real Madrid centre-back is a viable target for the Blues.
Three potential destinations for Real Madrid star Raphael Varane | THT Opinions
It now looks like Chelsea have stepped up their efforts to sign Varane, with a €70 million offer in the works. Indeed, that is the valuation placed on the French international and it appears that with the Blues prepared to meet it, Manchester United could now be trailing their Premier League rivals in the race to sign him.
Real Madrid, on their part, seem to be open to parting ways with Varane, after having reached an agreement to sign David Alaba this summer. What now remains to be seen is if Chelsea do end up securing the services of the French defender this summer, or if Manchester United can find a way to swoop him away to Old Trafford instead.
