Raphael Varane has already been compared with Virgil van Dijk amid reports he will leave Real Madrid this summer.
Real Madrid are reportedly prepared to sell the highly-rated defender, who has been linked to Liverpool, over concerns that the 27-year-old may not accept their offer of a new contract.
With the centre-back's current contract set to expire in 2022, Los Blancos are concerned at the prospect of losing him on a free, so may well look to offload him in order to obtain a fee, according to the MEN.
A departure from the Bernabeu would bring to an end a glorious 10-year career at Real Madrid for Varane, with the last decade seeing him win three La Liga titles, a trio of Champions Leagues, four Club World Cups, one Copa del Ray and a World Cup with France.
At the age of 27, any club signing Varane would be acquiring a world-class defender, hailed for both his technique and physical presence.
Liverpool have first-hand experience of what signing a defender such as that can do to a side, with Van Dijk's arrival in 2018 propelling the club to Champions League and Premier League titles. This season has seen Man City step up their performance by several gears after signing Ruben Dias, whose impact at the Etihad has been compared with Van Dijk's at Anfield.
Indeed, Varane has also been compared with Van Dijk in the past. Speaking in April last year, Gary Neville and Sky Sports colleague Jamie Carragher made their fantasy draft selections from world football.
Neville named Varane as his second pick, above Van Dijk, arguing that his sizeable achievements in football mean he should be viewed as a more valuable acquisition than his Dutch counterpart.
"I think we've got an amazing group of young players in England, but we have to think about the other players that exist," said Neville. "We are not the only country in the world.
"Jadon Sancho is a talent, but we can't start putting him in the category of these world stars who are winning European Cups and World Cups regularly. That's why I put Raphael Varane ahead of Virgil van Dijk. He's won so many European Cups, a World Cup, he's an amazing player."
