Varane can be the next Blanc, says Zidane

AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France (AFP) - Zinedine Zidane has acclaimed imminent Real Madrid signing Raphael Varane as the natural successor to his former France team-mate, Laurent Blanc.

Varane, 18, is expected to complete a move to the Spanish giants next Monday, despite having played just 23 league matches for Lens, who were relegated from the French top flight last season.

Real have reportedly seen off interest from clubs including Arsenal, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, and Zidane believes Varane has the ability to reach the very top.

"He's a talented and promising player, who obviously interests talented clubs like Real Madrid, and I like him a lot," said former Real star Zidane, who now works as an advisor to Real president Florentino Perez.

"He also plays in central defence, which isn't easy to find. Since Laurent Blanc, there have been some very good players in that position but I've not seen many with that calibre, similar to Blanc."

Blanc played alongside Zidane in the France team that won the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship, winning 97 caps before going on to replace Raymond Domenech as coach of the national side last year.

Zidane, speaking at the opening of a sports complex here on Thursday, also expressed enthusiasm for the recent takeover of PSG by Qatar Sports Investment (QSI).

QSI acquired a controlling 70 percent stake in the French club at the end of May and are expected to complete a takeover of the club early next week.

"I think it's a good thing for Paris Saint-Germain and I hope they'll construct a great team to rival the top European teams," said Zidane, who worked as an ambassador for Qatar's successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup.

"Everyone, including me, who's from Marseille, wants to see a Paris team competing like that."