Arsenal join chase for Real Madrid defender.
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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger looks set to step up his interests in young Real Madrid defender and Chelsea target Raphael Varane, CaughtOffside understands.
The Gunners are believed to be keen to bring in a new defensive signing this summer with the view that out-of-favour Belgian centre-back Thomas Vermaelen will be sold in the coming months after falling out of favour at the Emirates Stadium.
Vermaelen is not content to be a backup player at Arsenal, and his potential sale to Napoli or Inter Milan could raise funds for Arsenal to make a big-money offer for Varane, who has been watched by the club in the past.
The 21-year-old has long been regarded as one of the most promising young players in French football and has proven himself to be a consistent performer during his time at Real, though first-team opportunities have not always been easy to come by due to some fierce competition for places at the back.
This has seen Chelsea show a strong interest in him, with the Blues managed by former Madrid boss Jose Mourinho, who gave Varane his first-team debut for the club during his time in charge at the Bernabeu.
It seems unlikely that Real will allow Varane to leave easily, though it has emerged that they could be tempted by offers in the region of £22m as they prioritise further attacking signings this summer, such as Liverpool’s Luis Suarez and Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero.
Arsenal made a big-money signing from Real last summer as they broke their transfer record to bring in Mesut Ozil, and Wenger seems ready to make another ambitious raid on the Spanish giants this year as he hopes to finally get his hands on Varane, who would certainly give his side good options in defence next season.
Although Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny are the current first-choice pairing for the Gunners, Varane would give them the option to rotate and eventually become the long-term solution in that area, with both Mertesacker and Koscielny approaching their 30s.
It remains to be seen if Varane would favour a move to Arsenal over Chelsea, but young French players have often relished the opportunity to work under Wenger, who is known for getting the best out of talented youngsters and giving them the opportunity to impress.
Although Chelsea have already secured the signing of Kurt Zouma from Saint-Etienne, the sale of David Luiz has led Mourinho to eye one more addition at centre-back.
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