Real Madrid Transfer News: Sergio Aguero Targeted, Raphael Varane Exit Rumours

Real Madrid are reportedly ready to launch an extraordinary £70 million bid for Sergio Aguero as they look to bring Manchester City’s star centre-forward to the Santiago Bernabeu.

As reported by George Bellshaw of Metro, talkSPORT claim that Los Blancos president Florentino Perez is a big admirer of the Argentinian international striker and is hopeful of convincing him to swap Manchester for Madrid due to the fact he can “achieve more” in the Spanish capital.

Despite injury problems blighting his season and City falling off the pace in all competitions, Aguero has still enjoyed an exceptional campaign. As we can see here courtesy of Squawka Football, coming into this round of matches the former Atletico Madrid man is one of the top scorers in the division:

But there is a lot more to his game than the goals he scores. Aguero is a tenacious worker, a supreme dribbler and is adept at picking incisive passes with the ball at his feet. Indeed, it wouldn’t be naive to say that since joining the Etihad Stadium outfit he’s blossomed into one of the world’s most multifaceted centre-forwards.

Angel Martinez/Getty Images

A sum of £70 million may seem extortionate, but at his best, Aguero is one of a few players capable of living up to that stratospheric price tag. As noted here by EPL Stat Man, his contribution is all-encompassing:

It’s not as if Real are currently short of options at the sharp end of the pitch, though. Here’s how Aguero fares in comparison to the formidable Los Blancos attacking triumvirate in league matches so far this season:

	Aguero	Ronaldo	Bale	Benzema
Apps (Sub)	22 (3)	25	25	26
Goals	17	31	12	13
Assists	6	11	5	9
Shots per Game	4.5	6.6	3.5	2.4
Key Passes per Game	1	2.2	1.5	1.6

It’s difficult to see City sanctioning the sale of a genuinely world-class player. Manuel Pellegrini has a massive job on his hands rebuilding the champions’ team this summer, and while it would be no surprise to see a couple of longstanding figures leave the club, Aguero will surely remain a vital part of their development moving forward.

From Madrid’s perspective, while Aguero would potentially be another scintillating cog in their stunning offensive armoury, £70 million is a lot of money to spend on a player who has a major patent for injury problems. Especially when other facets of this squad are in more desperate need of attention in the summer.

Raphael Varane Exit Rumours

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

According to Le10 Sport (h/t Aaron Flanagan of the Daily Mirror), Raphael Varane is seriously considering leaving Real Madrid due to a lack of playing time.

Sergio Ramos and Pepe have been Carlo Ancelotti’s first choice at the back this season, but with the latter now 32 years old, logic would dictate that there will soon be a changing of the guard in that position. But according to Flanagan’s piece, Pepe is set to sign a new deal, and that would further diminish Varane’s chances.

He hasn't performed too badly alongside Ramos in the side either, per RMadridHome:

"

AS | Sergio Ramos & Raphael Varane together in La Liga: 12 Matches 10 Wins 0 Draws 2 Losses #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/MnKLhgkVrq

— RMadridHome (@RMadridHome) April 2, 2015"

Here’s a look at why many would regard Varane as the best young defender in European football:

The player may potentially fancy a crack at the Premier League. If he were to move, surely he’d be afforded the requisite reassurances regarding playing time, and the ferocious tempo of English football would help him evolve as a defender. Linking up with Jose Mourinho again would also be an enticing proposition for the young Frenchman.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

As noted by Sport Witness, there are a host of outlets that have linked Varane with the Blues as of late:

But it’s tough to see why Real would sanction a sale. They may be in receipt of big money should they decide to cash in, but the centre of defence is an area in which they are especially light on numbers. With that in mind, selling the most promising defender on the continent in that position would make little sense.

Varane may feel hard done by, and at most sides in Europe he’d already be a regular starter. But Carlo Ancelotti will be hoping this spell on the sidelines in the infancy of his career will fester a hunger in the player; something that should come to the fore once the 21-year-old does eventually get a prolonged spell in the first team.