Raphael Varane: 'I turned down Paris Saint-Germain move'

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 21 October 2015

Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane reveals that he turned down the chance to join Paris Saint-Germain when he decided to leave Lens in 2011.

Raphael Varane has revealed that he turned down the chance to join Paris Saint-Germain from Lens in 2011 because he was "a bit unclear" of the French outfit's long-term plans.

Varane, now 22, was linked with a number of clubs during his time at Lens, but decided on a move to Real Madrid, rejecting the likes of Manchester United in the process.

The French defender will line up against PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday, but he has said that he could well have been wearing the blue of the Ligue 1 champions.

"PSG were interested in signing me, but we never entered negotiations. The Qatari project at the club was all still a bit unclear to me. I could not see myself join PSG, because I did not know how they would develop," Varane told Le Parisien.

"PSG did not suit me at the time and the move to Real Madrid was a logical choice."

Varane, who has made over 100 appearances in all competitions for Real Madrid, is currently contracted to Los Blancos until the summer of 2020.