The Mirror understands that Chelsea have been boosted in their hopes to sign Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane after his teammate Pepe was offered a new contract by the European Champions.
Pepe, 32, has been given the chance to extend his stay at the Bernabeu until 2017 in an attempt to fend off interest from both Manchester clubs.
Should he sign, it could pave the way for Varane to leave the La Liga outfit where he currently competes for a place with both the Portugal international and Sergio Ramos.
Manchester United have also been linked with a move for the 21 year old who was signed for Real from Lens by Jose Mourinho in 2011, and the Chelsea boss is keen to be reunited with the France international.
Despite his young age, Varane has already racked up over 125 club appearances while he has been capped seventeen times by his country.
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