According to reports from The Express this morning, Chelsea have made a ‘tentative approach’ to sign Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane as a potential alternative to Everton’s John Stones.
The Premier League champions have already seen bids of £20million, £26million and £30million rejected for the England centre-back – who has also been linked with Manchester United – and they’re now believed to be considering a final offer of £40million.
But Toffees director Jon Woods has once again reiterated that Stones won’t be allowed to leave Goodison Park this summer, telling reporters yesterday; “I won’t sell him, Bill won’t sell him, because there aren’t many days to go.”
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And according to The Express, who cite reports from The Daily Star and The Daily Mail, that has thrust the Blues towards Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane as an alternative to Everton’s in-demand 21 year-old.
The France international is widely regarded as one of the most exciting defensive prospects in European football, having already captained his national team and won the Champions League at just 22 years of age.
In fact, Jose Mourinho – who brought Varane to the Bernabeu in summer 2011 – described him as ‘the best young defender in the world‘ 18 months ago.
Resultantly, Los Blancos are likely to knock back Chelsea’s ‘tentative approach’ to sign the 6 foot 3 centre-half. But The Express claim Varane could push for a move away after veteran defenders Sergio Ramos and Pepe were handed lengthy contract extensions earlier this month.
What kind of valuation the former European champions would place on the Frenchman, however, remains to be seen.