Chelsea board member is now urging Todd Boehly to sign £34m Manchester United player

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One board member at Chelsea wants the club to make a shock move for Manchester United defender Raphael Varane.

That is according to journalist Simon Phillips.

On his Substack Si Phillips Talks Chelsea, Phillips has claimed that someone on Chelsea‘s board has recommended that Todd Boehly and the club sign Raphael Varane from United.

However, the journalist has also shared that his sources see this as a non-starter.

The centre-back has fallen out of favour under Erik ten Hag, recently losing his place in United’s starting XI. The Red Devils signed him from Real Madrid for £34m back in 2021, as reported by BBC Sport.

Should Chelsea sign Raphael Varane?

Even for a cut-price fee, no. He has lost his spot at United and has had quite a few injury problems since joining the Manchester club.

At 30, Varane is not getting any younger either.

On top of all of the above, Chelsea also do not look to be in desperate need of a new central defender. They have Thiago Silva, Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile to name a few of the options Mauricio Pochettino currently has.

Like Varane, Silva is also in his 30s and his contract expires at the end of the season. There is a possibility of him leaving Stamford Bridge soon and returning to Brazil.

However, the former Paris Saint-Germain captain is still performing. He has played in every Premier League game for Chelsea so far this term.

Ultimately, the Blues would be better off handing Silva a new contract than going out and buying Varane.

A few years ago, perhaps Varane would have been a player no club would have turned down. But the Frenchman does not look like the defender he used to be, while there is not really a need for him at Stamford Bridge, especially if Silva does go on to remain in west London.