Chelsea Transfer News: Raphael Varane, Jack Grealish, Danny Rose Rumours Emerge

Chelsea reportedly believe Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane is "a wiser choice" than Everton's John Stones but know they are "unlikely" to ever sign the youngster. 

That's according to the Daily Mail's Neil Ashton, who noted the centre-back was manager Jose Mourinho's "principal target" on arriving at Stamford Bridge, but the Frenchman is tied down on a long-term deal with Los Blancos.

The Blues made repeated attempts to sign Stones in the summer, but as good as the Englishman is and will likely become, Varane has even greater experience and potential. Spanish football expert Sergi Dominguez is a fan:

As WhoScored.com demonstrated, the 22-year-old is a committed ball-winner and is aided by his power in the air:

In Real's 1-0 win over Granada in September, football journalist Rik Sharma highlighted his pace as a great asset in performing his defensive duties:

Varane is almost destined to become one of, if not the best central defender in the world one day, and his potential won't be lost on Madrid, so it's unlikely he would be for sale at any price. 

Chelsea equally recognise that Stones isn't quite at Varane's level, but relatively speaking it will be a much easier task to prise him away from Everton than Varane from Real.

Ashton also noted the club are set to pursue a number of English talents as they bid to restore the kind of strong homegrown core they enjoyed in Mourinho's first spell at the club—of which 34-year-old John Terry is the only survivor—including Aston Villa's Jack Grealish and Tottenham Hotspur's Danny Rose.

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

Attacking midfielder Grealish has been one of the few highlights in Villa's otherwise poor start to the season, which has left them bottom of the Premier League after 12 games.

According to Squawka, the 20-year-old has completed 19 take-ons in just eight appearances as well as drawing 16 fouls, which demonstrates the threat his dynamic play in the final third poses.

Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe believes the effervescent star has already established himself as a crucial player for the Midlands outfit and that he has great potential:

As for Rose, he has done well under Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs and finished last season with four goals and five assists to his name—a healthy return for a left-back.

Lionel Cironneau/Associated Press

The 25-year-old has shown himself to be a fairly solid Premier League performer.

Grealish could give the Blues some zip and creativity in the final third, but without assurances of regular game time the youngster is more likely to remain at Villa Park under new boss Remi Garde.

Chelsea's questionable recruitment practices have somewhat come back to haunt them this season, and if the club are hoping to replicate the success they enjoyed previously they'll need to change their ways in order to keep attracting top young talent like Grealish.