José Mourinho has previously lauded Raphaël Varane as one of the best centre-backs in the world, as his Chelsea side persists to be linked with the French international. Speaking ahead of the World Cup, Mourinho had the following to say about the twenty-one year old: “I think he is the best young central defender in the world. Already I think he’s the best.” Such high praise from one of the finest managers in the world is not without foundation. Varane’s technique, coupled with his ability to carry the ball out from the defence is a certainly a useful asset. Moreover his pace and ability to read the game makes it extremely hard for opposing strikers to find space or run in-behind the backline.
Therefore you may be well inclined to believe the concept of Real Madrid allowing a player of Varane’s ilk to leave is rather far-fetched. However, the young defender has cut a frustrated figure at times in the Spanish capital due to a lack of playing time. A niggling knee injury picked up two seasons ago has not helped his cause either. Once more Carlo Ancelotti has preferred the more experienced partnership consisting of club icon Sergio Ramos and Portuguese international, Pepe. Marca’s Jose Felix Diaz and Miguel Serrano are also reporting Pepe’s new contract as a formality and as shared by the newspaper’s Twitter feed, that means Varane will have to settle for third choice behind both Ramos and Pepe, or move on to pastures new.
In fact, Varane may view a move to West London as more progressive in terms of playing time. His highest number of appearances for Los Blancos amounts to thirty-three outings during the 2012/13 season, where he eventually fell to an injury. It is worth noting the manager at the time was a certain José Mourinho and the Portuguese’s tenacious pursuit of the young defender may bear fruit in the near future. Mourinho’s interest is clear and despite John Terry going strong at the age of thirty-four, he will not be around Stamford Bridge forever, with the far less impressive Gary Cahill nearing thirty himself. Varane’s more cultured approach to the defensive side of the game, combined with fellow countryman Kurt Zouma’s robust and power style, could well be one of the leading defences in World football in years to come. Finally, after signing a new partnership with Yokohama Rubber, Chelsea will be the beneficiary of a reported £40 million a year for an initial five-year term. Consequently a Chelsea bid in the region of €30-40 million for the young prodigy may well be imminent in the coming months.
