Why Tottenham’s move for Varane would be a huge statement of intent

According to Spanish publication Eldesmarque (h/t Daily Star), Tottenham Hotspur are targeting Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane.

Jose Mourinho, who took over the reins at Tottenham recently, has Varane at the top of his transfer list as he looks to beef up his defence. Tottenham have undergone a resurgence of sorts ever since the Portuguese arrived, winning 6 of his 9 matches in charge so far.

However, they are yet to register victories against big clubs after his side lost to Premier League rivals Manchester United and Chelsea in the league and Bavarian giants Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

That said, Mourinho is aware that he needs some reinforcements in his defensive department to compete at the highest level and Varane is one of his primary targets.

The Frenchman broke through the ranks at Real Madrid earlier under Mourinho, who was his coach then, to establish himself as one of the world’s best centre-backs.

After making his move from French side Lens in the summer of 2011, Varane has grown into one of their regular starters, featuring in over 296 games for them and finding the target 13 times in the process.

The 2018 World Cup winner with France is an inevitable presence in the Madrid line-up and has won one La Liga title and four Champions League with the Spanish giants.

Meanwhile, Mourinho, who knows Varane too well due to his time at the Santiago Bernabeu, had attempted to land the defender during his time at Manchester United. However, no deal materialized and Varane stayed put in Spain.

Meanwhile, Tottenham have four centre-backs in their squad, with veteran Jan Vertonghen’s deal set to expire this summer. With the Belgian defender yet to put the pen on paper, his future at the club remains an uncertainty.

Vertonghen’s national teammate and Spurs fellow mate Toby Alderweireld, however, signed a new deal recently which will keep him at the club until 2023, which means he might be in the Portuguese’s plans for the future.

Another Spurs centre-back, Davinson Sanchez, who has been starting matches recently under Mourinho, has still not established himself as a regular and has been prone to errors from time to time. His inability to establish himself as a regular till now lays further claim to it.

There is Juan Foyth in the squad as well. He has not played many matches and lacks big-match experiences. Moreover, Tottenham, despite being one of the top clubs in the English top-flight have conceded 27 goals, raising concerns about their backline.

Tottenham are said to be willing to offer £69million for Varane but it remains to be seen if that amount would be good enough to persuade the Los Blancos to part ways with one of the best defenders around at the moment.

Meanwhile, Varane maintains a good relationship with Mourinho and is keen for newer challenges, having won almost every major trophy with the Galacticos.

Read more

• Why Max Aarons would be a shrewd signing by Tottenham
• Why a new deal for Alderweireld is a great move by Tottenham
• Why Tottenham must offload forgotten midfielder Victor Wanyama

Verdict

With old guard Vertonghen’s future at Spurs remaining uncertain and their defence looking clearly unsettled, Tottenham are in need of a top-quality established defender to lead their backline and who better than Varane.

Also, having coached him earlier, Mourinho would know the defender well enough and it would be a match made in heaven if the Frenchman decides to join Tottenham.