- Man Utd want to sign Aurelien Tchouameni
- Real Madrid playing down speculation
- Belief in Spain situation isn’t closed
Manchester United‘s hopes of signing Aurelien Tchouameni may remain intact despite Real Madrid president Florentino Perez downplaying speculation. The French midfielder is one of the club’s top targets.
Tchouameni is one of many names on United’s radar as they look to replace Casemiro. He ticks plenty of boxes with a physical, domineering holding-midfield profile.
The Reds have yet to make a move for the 26-year-old, who has two years on his contract. He joined the La Liga giants from AS Monaco in the summer of 2022 for £85m.
Man Utd given Tchouameni hope
According to Tyrone Marshall of the Manchester Evening News, Tchouameni “remains one to watch.” He claims that the club’s interest in the player is “long-standing”, but it’s unclear whether Madrid will come to the table.
Tchouameni is a prominent member of Los Blancos’ first-team and appeared 49 times across competitions this season. He replaced Casemiro at the Santiago Bernabeu, and INEOS wants him to do the same at Old Trafford.
Marshall added that while Perez shut down speculation earlier this week, some in Spain believe the situation “isn’t completely closed.” That last line gives United hope of persuading Madrid to part with the French footballer.
United’s other top midfield target is Elliot Anderson, and a move for the Nottingham Forest star looks increasingly unlikely. Manchester City made an offer to sign the player, which was rejected, but their pursuit is set to continue, and he is leaning towards a switch to the Etihad.
A deal worth trying for
If United believe they can prise Tchouameni away from the Bernabeu, they must try to make it happen. He has the ability to take Michael Carrick’s side up a gear and towards the overall goal of challenging for major trophies.
Tchouameni is the right age and has the experience of winning titles in the Spanish capital. He’d link up well with Kobbie Mainoo who’d be allowed to work his ball-playing magic.
What United can’t do is allow a potential pursuit to rumble on into the latter stages of the window and miss out. The club took a similar approach when trying to sign Frenkie de Jong for Erik ten Hag back in 2022, and a long and tedious operation failed despite being told the Barcelona star wasn’t keen on the move.
