Chelsea remain interested in Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane despite two other clubs’ reportedly leading the transfer race, according to L’Equipe.
The French outlet claims that Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain seem to be ahead of Chelsea in the race to sign the 28-year-old.
Another report from Sky Sports even mentioned that Manchester United have held initial talks over a potential deal.
However, L’Equipe specifically highlighted that neither Manchester United nor PSG have made any bid for the defender so far.
While PSG are now close to signing Varane’s former Real Madrid teammate Sergio Ramos on a free transfer, this does not prevent club director Leonardo from assessing a potential deal.
Varane himself has now entered the final year of his contract at Santiago Bernabeu, which likely means a lower price tag.
L’Equipe claims that Real Madrid are willing to listen to offers of around €60million (£51.6m).
Bear in mind, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez himself has recently stated that Varane will be allowed to leave “if he wants to”.
The French news outlet further claims that Chelsea are still in the race for Varane, albeit behind the other two clubs in terms of starting positions.
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