Madrid swoop for Varane

Real Madrid have won the race to sign Frenchman Raphael Varane, with the teenage defender penning a six-year deal on Monday.

The La Liga giants beat the likes of Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain to sign the 18-year-old from French outfit Lens.

The centre-back signed the long-term deal to remain at the Santiago Bernabeu until 2017 after completing his medical on Monday.

“Real Madrid CF and RC Lens have reached an agreement regarding the transfer of Raphael Varane to the former club, where he will remain for the next six seasons,” a statement on Real Madrid’s website read.

The 191-centimetre defender can also play in the centre of the park and wore the captain’s armband for Lens in a league clash against Arles-Avignon last season.

Varane joins Turkish pair Nuri Sahin and Hamit Altintop, as well as Spanish winger Jose Maria Callejon, as additions to Jose Mourinho’s squad this transfer window.

Mourinho’s team finished second to Barcelona in the La Liga, reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League and won the Copa del Rey last campaign.