Last chance for Chelsea to make late play for Raphaël Varane — report

As reported by multiple sources over the past week or so, Raphaël Varane is closing in on a move to Manchester United, and is set to agree personal terms on a five-year contract.

United still need to reach final agreement with Real Madrid, and though they appear to be close, as Marca report, they could face some late competition with Chelsea (re-)emerging from the discard pile of the rumor mill.

That sounds little more than a last gasp effort by Real to wring out more than €50m from United by way of a bidding war against Chelsea. Los Blancos value their long-time defender at €70m, but unless someone else makes a strong play, they are stuck with whatever United’s offering for a player in the last year of his contract.

Unfortunately for them, Chelsea’s presence in this rumor is purely speculative and while we’ve been linked with a few center backs (Jules Koundé, for example), we’re more likely to keep selling them than paying €50m+ for one. Varane will be an excellent signing for United however, which could be a concern for us and the rest of the Premier League title-hopefuls.