Chelsea Transfer News: Jose Mourinho's Top Targets Identified in Latest Rumours

Jose Mourinho is reportedly preparing to sign Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane and Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke for Chelsea this summer.

According to Will Giles of Metro, Chelsea will table an offer of £35.8 million for Varane "within a matter of weeks."

Though Varane insisted in April that "I am happy here" at Real Madrid (h/t Charles Perrin of the Express), the Frenchman has played fewer minutes in La Liga than Sergio Ramos and Pepe (h/t WhoScored.com) and could be tempted by the prospect of staking a claim in Chelsea's back four.

Mourinho is familiar with Varane's considerable talents having managed him in the Spanish capital.

Though John Terry has been simply magnificent this season, the veteran is now 34 and approaching the final years of his career.

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Varane represents an excellent long-term option for the Blues and would undoubtedly benefit personally from Terry's vast experience.

The young centre-back is comfortable on the ball, as shown by his average passing accuracy of 90 per cent this season, while he is also a strong competitor having won 59 per cent of his tackles and an incredible 71 per cent of his aerial duels (h/t Squawka).

This indicates that Varane would be well-suited to the physical nature of the Premier League.

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Despite his large price tag, Chelsea are rightly interested in one of the best young defenders in world football, and should they snap him up, the Blues' incredible defensive solidity is only set to continue.

According to Italian reporter Alfredo Pedulla (link in Italian), via Will Giles of Metro, Chelsea are targeting Benteke as their replacement for 37-year-old Didier Drogba.

Like his team, Benteke endured a torrid start to the season under Paul Lambert but has flourished since Tim Sherwood took over Villa in February.

BBC 606 highlight the contrast in the Belgian's form:

Indeed, Benteke has now scored 11 goals in his last 10 league matches, and the powerful 24-year-old would be a more prolific alternative to Diego Costa than Drogba or Loic Remy. 

Despite his side's encouraging revival under Sherwood, the lure of Chelsea would likely prove too much for a player who handed in a transfer request in the summer of 2013.

If the Blues can sign both players, their squad will have even more depth and talent available.

Chelsea are already the team to beat next season, so with Benteke and Varane, this would be doubly the case.