Manchester United centre-back Raphael Varane could be available on a free transfer this summer and Chelsea have been urged to bring him in.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made signing a new centre-back one of his top priorities for the upcoming window and the Frenchman could be sacrificed to make room in the squad.

Along with Varane, Harry Maguire, Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof are all facing uncertain futures at Old Trafford.

Reports suggest that it is increasingly ‘likely’ that Varane won’t be offered an extension to his £340k-per-week deal and a number of clubs are interested in signing him on a free transfer.

Chelsea, on the other hand, will part ways with veteran defender Thiago Silva this summer as his contract will also expire at the end of the season.

The 39-year-old has been a key player for the Blues since making the switch to Stamford Bridge in 2020.

Varane certainly has the quality and experience to suggest that he would be a solid addition to Mauricio Pochettino’s team and former Chelsea and Liverpool star Glen Johnson believes he’d be a great signing.

Chelsea told to make shock move for Raphael Varane

In a recent interview, Johnson was asked about Varane’s future and said that he’s still a “bloody good player” and would slot straight into Chelsea’s starting XI.

“Good players like Varane don’t come around often and they certainly come around less often on a free transfer,” Johnson said, as cited by Football365.

“I know he’s not the Varane he was three or four years ago but he’s still a bloody good player.

“Yes, he’s had his injury problems but that’s what outweighs the transfer fee – if you’re buying him on a free and he’s only playing 40% of the games, then that’s still a good deal to do.

“As we saw with Thiago Silva, those sort of players who have done everything, played for top teams and clubs, they get the attention of the dressing room and they’re the big names that the younger players want to look up to and obviously they’re great to have around.

“If you have got a chance with Varane on a free transfer and he’s only going to play 50% of the games, I still think it’s a good deal.”

Silva is set to leave Chelsea this summer but TEAMtalk sources state that Trevoh Chalobah could also follow him out of the exit door.

The Blues could be forced to part ways with several homegrown stars in order to comply with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.

With that in mind, Varane could, in theory, provide competition for the likes of Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile, Levi Colwill and injury-plagued star Wesley Fofana.