Chelsea plot swoop for Real's Raphael Varane

It's Monday and the it's the Blues in the news with rumours suggesting that Premier League leaders Chelsea are zeroing in on Real Madrid's Raphael Varane, and is Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger steeling himself for a summer move for Raheem Sterling?

There's a green light at Chelsea and according to the Sun it's the signal for Jose Mourinho to make "a £40 million swoop on Raphael Varane". Apparently the Real Madrid defender is the Chelsea priority summer target and the Special One is quietly confident of landing the Frenchman because he wants to be assured of more regular game time. Competing with Pepe at Real is not what the 21-year-old Varane wants and the Sun says that former Lens centre-half, who captained France against Denmark yesterday, would "welcome leaving Spain to join Mourinho", who he knows from when he was in charge at the Bernabeu. Manchester United have also been mentioned as possible suitors but the Mourinho link could prove decisive.

According to Spanish paper Sport, Liverpool defender Glen Johnson could exit Anfield at the end of the season to sign on at Barcelona. The 30-year-old Johnson is tipped to leave Liverpool in June when his contract expires and though he's been linked with a move to Serie A side Roma, Sport claims Barcelona see him as a replacement for Dani Alves, the Brazilian full-back widely expected to leave the Camp Nou in June.

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The Manchester Evening News is one of several papers to report that Manchester City are on the tail of Ross Barkley. Though the Everton playmaker has struggled for form this season with the Toffees, the MEN says this "has not affected his price tag", which is said to be in the region of £50m. Chelsea have been linked with the 21-year-old but the fee is deterring even the normally extravagant Roman Abramovich, and as a result the Sky Blues are believed to be lining up a summer offer. That, adds the MEN, would likely lead to James Milner leaving the Etihad, most probably for Liverpool.