Real Madrid defender linked with January surprise move to Chelsea
According to latest report, Chelsea are allegedly on alert for the potential transfer of Real Madrid star Raphael Varane as no negotiations have yet taken place over a new deal for him at the Santiago Bernabeu outfit.
According to a recent report from Spanish media outlet Don Balon, this has sparked the interest of the Blues in particular, with manager Frank Lampard wants to make changes to his squad, with defence a clear department of weakness at Stamford Bridge right now.
Chelsea had the worst defensive record of any team in the top half of the PL table last season, and although things have improved slightly this campaign, few could argue against the case for landing a top centre-back like Varane.
He has not been at his very best of late, but on his day he is up there with the finest defenders in Europe and could surely be a major upgrade on the likes of Andreas Christensen, Kurt Zouma and Antonio Rudiger.
Thiago Silva has been a useful signing for the Blues, but at the age of 36 there is surely not much chance of him being able to continue to play week in, week out and at a high standard at this level for much longer.
If Raphael is available soon, the west Londoners would do well to pounce, and Don Balon suggest his Los Blancos future is in doubt as his deal expires in June 2022 and there currently seems little prospect of talks to extend it.