Jose Mourinho wants Tottenham to launch a bold move to sign Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane, and the club are willing to part with £68million to secure his signature, according to reports in Spain.

The Portuguese boss signed Varane for Los Blancos in 2011 when the Frenchman was a teenager, and he has gone on to establish himself as one of the world's best defenders.

Mourinho left Madrid a year after Varane joined, but has always been an admirer and reportedly tried to lure him to Old Trafford when he was Manchester United boss.

Jose Mourinho brought Raphael Varane to Real Madrid in 2011 and has been an admirer since

He was instead given Eric Bailly by the United hierarchy, and Spanish site El Desmarque claim that he will make another ambitious attempt to bring the Galactico to north London.

It has been reported that the pair share a good relationship after Mourinho put faith in him and helped nuture his talent after he moved to the Spanish giants at such a young age.

The report also claims that Varane is seeking a new challenge after winning 16 trophies with Madrid, including La Liga and the Champions League, and that he has long been attracted by a move to the Premier League.

Varane has become a first choice centre-back at Madrid and is one of the best in the world

Mourinho attempted to bring the player to Old Trafford but had to settle for Eric Bailly instead

RAPHAEL VARANE'S MAJOR HONOURS LA LIGA 2011-12, 2016-17 COPA DEL REY 2013-14 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2013-14, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 WORLD CUP 2018 Advertisement

Spurs would likely find it challenging to seal any potential deal for Varane, who is a first choice defender at the Bernabeu with a huge value.

The 26-year-old, who has made nearly 300 appearances for Madrid, is said to have a £500m release clause but Tottenham would sanction a £68m bid.

However, Madrid are unlikely to let Varane leave the Spanish side unless they receive a world record fee for a defender.

Harry Maguire became the most expensive defender ever when he joined Man United this summer for £80m, so Spurs would have to match that record or shatter it.

Varane has enjoyed a huge amount of success, winning the Champions League and World Cup

When Mourinho joined Spurs last month, he faced a crisis with the contracts of first choice centre-backs Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen both expiring at the end of the season.

The former has since inked a new deal, but he is still waiting for Vertonghen to sign on the dotted line, so the signing of Varane would be a huge coup as well as cushioning the possible blow of losing the Belgian.

A new defender should be high up on the shopping list for Spurs - they've conceded the most goals out of any team in the Premier League since Mourinho was hired.