Chelsea transfer news: Real Madrid player makes pitch for Blues target Kylian Mbappe

Real Madrid’s admiration for Kylian Mbappe was articulated by his international teammate Raphael Varane ahead of a potential bidding war with Chelsea and Liverpool.

The Premier League duo are among several clubs clamouring for the Paris Saint-Germain forward’s signature, although he may still extend his stay in France.

In an interview with Europe1, Raphael Varane extolled the virtues of Mbappe at length, admitting that he would love to see him represent Real.

“He’s still young but he has made huge progress and he keeps developing. He’s becoming an all-around player and he’s still a goalscorer, he’s one of the best,” said Varane.

“My goal is to play alongside the best players and Kylian is one of the best players in European football.”

Mbappe is coveted by a host of leading clubs after establishing himself as one of the most exciting and explosive players in the world at such a young age.

He burst onto the scene with Monaco, as they won the Ligue Un title and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2017.

After initially joining PSG on loan that summer, his move was made permanent a year later for a world-record fee of €145million.

Over the last four years, he has scored 120 goals in 160 games across all competitions, overtaking Neymar as the club’s biggest star in the process.

Alongside Varane, Mbappe was a key member of the France squad that won the 2018 World Cup, beating Croatia 4-2 in the final.

A devastating individual performance against Argentina, which featured a brace of well-taken goals, was the standout moment of his breakthrough tournament.

Mbappe is entering the final year of his PSG contract but might be tempted to commit to the club as Neymar looks set to agree to a new, long-term deal.