Liverpool are in the driving seat to sign Aurelien Tchouameni from Real Madrid, after years of following the Frenchman.
The Reds failed to acquire their priority target in the summer, when Martin Zubimendi rejected the chance to leave Real Sociedad for Merseyside. Other players were linked, though Liverpool only wanted to break the bank for a top target rather than a second choice.
Ultimately, new manager Arne Slot opted to stick with Ryan Gravenberch as his No.6, with the Dutchman putting in excellent form so far this season. Slot is widely expected to want another defensive midfielder, however, with Wataru Endo only making the bench for the Reds in recent weeks.
Liverpool are long-term admirers of Aurelien Tchouameni, going back to the Jurgen Klopp days
Aurelien Tchouameni ranked at no.6 in FourFourTwo's list of the best defensive midfielders in the world right now joined Los Blancos in 2022 from Monaco in a move that David Ornstein of the Athletic confirmed to be worth over 100 million.
Despite being a regular under Carlo Ancelotti, however, featuring both in midfield and in defence during injury crises, Tchouameni has been one of several stars said to be struggling at Real Madrid. The European champions have looked bereft this season without the influence of Toni Kroos, who retired over the summer, while Federico Valverde and Tchouameni's own compatriot, Eduardo Camavinga, have been lauded as bigger influences at the Bernabeu in midfield.
Now, Spanish outlet Fichajes have delivered a bombshell, stating that, It is an open secret that Tchouameni is no longer part of Real Madrid's plan and that the Frenchman will end up leaving.
The report states that the 3-1 loss to Milan was a turning point in the career for a player who has so far struggled to maintain consistency in Spanish football, in a fortnight in which Real Madrid have lost 4-0 in the Clasico and been roundly criticised for snubbing the Ballon d'Or.
With Luka Modric returning to the starting lineup at the age of 39 last night, it appears that patience is wearing thin and there are no shortage of takers to allow Real to recoup the investment made in the Frenchman, as Fichajes claims.
Enter Liverpool. The Reds have a long-standing interest in Tchouameni from the days of Jurgen Klopp, reportedly submitting a 47m bid for the 24-year-old in 2023.
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Similarly to how Liverpool rehabilitated Ryan Gravenberch by saving him from a tough Bayern Munich stint after his sparkling form at Ajax, the Merseysiders are expected to once again be leading the charge for Tchouameni, who could add the much-needed muscle to Arne Slot's midfield alongside the in-form Gravenberch.
FourFourTwo understands that Tchouameni will only be sold if Real Madrid feel they can extract a good price to cut their losses on what they spent on the star. The question will be whether Liverpool's hierarchy still value the midfielder as much as they did 18 months ago when Jurgen Klopp was in charge of the club and seemingly enamoured with bringing him to the Premier League.
Real Madrid's woes are by no means the fault of just Tchouameni and in our opinion, the star would be a shrewd buy for a club who were lucky enough to snare him, similarly to how Arsenal signed Martin Odegaard from the 15-time Champions League winners when there was seemingly no space for the Norwegian in the squad.
Tchouameni is worth 100m, according to Transfermarkt, with his contract running until 2028. Liverpool host Aston Villa this weekend when Premier League action returns.
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