Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will finally land his target come January according to the Daily Express (via Goal Transfer Talk). Per the report, Real Madrid center-back Raphael Varane will be made available in the next transfer window at a price £19 million.
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Manchester United are also said to be interested in the 21-year-old, but there isn't a center-back in the world of football that isn't linked to the club. Atletico Madrid's Joao Miranda and Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels have also been mentioned in previous transfer rumors to Old Trafford.
Varane featured under Mourinho during his tenure at the Santiago Bernabeu. Performances at the international level motivated the Portuguese manager to proclaim him as the best defender in the world. "I think he is the best young central defender in the world," Mourinho told the Sun in March (via the Daily Mail). "Already, I think he's the best."
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Struggling for playing time, Varane has only featured in five of Real Madrid's 11 league matches this season. Center-backs Pepe and Sergio Ramos have predominantly started for the club, though Varane has proven to be effective in his brief stints.
In 330 minutes, the Frenchman is averaging 4.4 clearances, more than any other Galactico at Carlo Ancelotti's disposal. His average of 1.6 interceptions lend further authenticity to Mourinho claims and at £19 million, would come at bargain for either Premier League side.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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