By Stefan Coerts
23 Jun 2011 08:47:00
Raphael Varane – RC Lens
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Lens president Gervais Martel has revealed young defender Raphael Varane will definitely wear the colours of Real Madrid in the 2011-12 campaign.
The 18-year-old centre-back is one of the most sought-after young players in Europe and has also caught the attention of Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Lille.
However, after the Ligue 2 side confirmed that negotiations with Madrid had begun, Martel claimed that Spanish giants’ offer had proved to be too good to turn down for Varane.
The president added that the starlet had discussed the move with France legend Zinedine Zidane, as reports suggested yesterday.
“He will be playing for Real Madrid next year under the guidance of Jose Mourinho,” said Martel, according to France Football.
“They have already met and he’s been in touch with Zinedine Zidane too.
“Varane is an exceptional guy and I’m proud that he will be wearing the Madrid jersey. They have been following him for the last two months and he visited their facilities.
“He told me that he could not turn down this opportunity – he is a phenomenon.”
The France under-21 international made his official Lens debut in November 2010 and had since developed into a key player at the recently-relegated outfit, prompting interest from across the continent.
Original post:
Raphael Varane will play for Real Madrid next season – Lens president