Real Madrid could be headed for some turnover at the center back position this summer. The legendary partnership of Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos, which dominated the Champions League for years, could be headed for a breakup. Either Ramos will leave as a free agent, Varane will be sold with one year left on his contract if he does not re-sign, or both world-class central defenders will leave Madrid this summer.
Los Blancos should be able to survive this situation due to the emergence of Eder Militao, the resurgence of Nacho Fernandez, and the expected addition of David Alaba. But it will still hurt to see either Ramos or Varane go.
Varane should be coveted by many big clubs around Europe if he is available. Let’s take a look at three teams that will most likely try to pry the French international away from Real Madrid.
Chelsea
Let’s begin with the Blues, who knocked Real Madrid out of the Champions League without even having to face Raphael Varane in the elimination match. Chelsea shouldn’t be desperate for a center back, since Thiago Silva has been a very good veteran for them and both Kurt Zouma and Antonio Rudiger are good center backs. The latter has been particularly excellent. Even Andrea Christensen has looked good under Thomas Tuchel Plus, Fikayo Tomori could return if Milan cannot scrounge up the money to make his loan deal permanent.
But Chelsea have huge ambitions and have been tracking Varane for a while. They know that this is their chance to sign one of the best center backs in the world. Last season, Chelsea showed their ambition, opening Roman Abramovich’s pocketbooks to sign the trio of Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz, and Timo Werner to bolster their attack.
Now, it’s time to invest in the defense. The Blues may want to sign someone world-class. They have some solid pieces, but Varane would put the Champions League finalists over the top.
Manchester United
Staying in the Premier League, let’s move over to a team with an even bigger need for a center back. While Chelsea need someone like Varane to continue to compete with Europe’s elite, Manchester United should pursue an upgrade on Victor Lindelof as the center back next to Harry Maguire. And it’s not like their depth at the position is impressive for a club of their stature.
A center back is likely a secondary need to Jadon Sancho, but since United have so much work to do before they can return to their ambitions of competing for Champions League titles, this “secondary” need is still a big one to the Red Devils.
Jules Kounde, Cristian Romero, and other young center backs will be on their wishlist and may be more realistic targets. But if Raphael Varane wants to leave Real Madrid, you had better believe United will jump at the chance to sign him. They’ve already been heavily linked.
A center back partnership of Maguire and Varane would be one of the best in the Premier League and could help United finally get further in the Champions League. Varane’s experience in that competition and his overall defensive quality would make him one of their most important players. If you are a Madridista, watch out for Man U.
PSG
Like Chelsea, PSG have been tracking Raphael Varane for quite some time and may also be interested in making a play for the Real Madrid center back if he expresses his desire for a new challenge. What’s interesting here is that Sergio Ramos has also been linked to PSG, to the point where Madridistas are seriously worried their captain could be headed to the Qatar-owned club.
Varane is a possibility for PSG if they strike out on Ramos, as cooler heads could prevail between Ramos and Florentino Perez.
But out of the three teams here, the Parisians need Varane the least. They have two of the best center backs in Europe in Marquinhos and Presnel Kimpembe, though the latter was horrendous in the Champions League semifinals. And Abdou Diallo is a great center back, though he’s been playing more at left back lately in light of Juan Bernat’s ACL tear.
Varane is so good, though, that PSG have to be contenders for his signature. After all, they can always shift Marquinhos back to defensive midfielder, where his intelligent reading of the game and ball-playing ability (as well as his underrated ability to contribute goals) could still be of great use to the Ligue 1 giants.
PSG have the money and would love to get their hands on one of the best French players of this generation. Outside of the Premier League, they may be Varane’s best choice to challenge himself next. Even if they lose Kylian Mbappe, they now have Neymar secured through 2024-25.