If the reports coming out of Spain are true, then Arsenal should already be on the phone to Real Madrid and Arsene Wenger should be ringing up silent Stan Kroenke and Ivan Gazidis to get them to release a bit more money for the January transfer business.
And it is not as if £19 million is all that much anyway, especially when it is for a player like the France international centre back Rafael Varane. But that is what Real Madrid are looking for in order to release the talented young defender, according to a Daily Express report.
The 21-year old has apparently fallen out of favour with the Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti and the Italian has already proved that he is not scared to dump players that either do not fit into his plan or simply will not do as he tells them.
Whatever the reason, £19 million seems like a bargain for such a player as Varane. He is already a very good defender but is so young that you would only expect him to keep improving for the next five years or so. And he is not just a bruiser either. His technical ability makes him just the sort of player that Wenger likes.
So if this transfer rumour is true, I expect Arsenal to make him the top transfer target for January, even if it does mean a transfer battle with our big spending Premier League rivals Man United and Chelsea….