Chelsea may have the perfect opportunity to land Real Madrid superstar Raphael Varane this summer.
The Blues have been linked with the centre-back for some time, and there is talk Varane could be on his way out of the Spanish capital this summer with his contract see to expire in 2022.
Real Madrid are losing to lose one of Sergio Ramos or Varane ahead of next season, and while that is more likely to be the former, given he is out of contract after this season, they are desperate to avoid losing Varane for free.
That means, unless they can agree a new contract with the Frenchman, they would need to sell him this summer to avoid him leaving for free after the next campaign.
Manchester United have spotted the opportunity already, it seems, reportedly preparing a sizable offer for Varane, but it will not be enough.
According to Diario AS, United are preparing to submit a £38.7million offer, but that is well short of the near £61million Real Madrid will demand to allow Varane to leave.
And that could provide the perfect window for Chelsea amid reports Marina Granovskaia could sanction a £61million deal to land the centre-back this summer.
There are also reports Roman Abramovich could provide up to £150million for investment in transfers this summer, though the Blues are also keen to sign a striker.
Chelsea are stacked for centre-backs with plenty of options between Kurt Zouma, Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Cesar Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva.
The latter is out of contract this summer and could well sign a new deal, but given he is 36, and given the fact Fikayo Tomori is also expected to leave on a permanent basis for AC Milan, a new centre-back may be something Chelsea pursue this summer.
Varane, thought to be one of the world's best centre-backs by most, would certainly be a good option, but at £61million, he could hamstring the Blues' bid for a striker with Romelu Lukaku and Erling Haaland set to cost £100million and £150million respectively.
That's a dilemma for transfer chief Granovskaia to thrash out between now and the summer window.
