AS Monaco’s Aurelien Tchouameni is said to have attracted a lot of interest around Europe with his excellent performances for the Ligue 1 side this season. In all competitions since the start of 2021-22, the 22-year-old defensive midfielder has made a total of 41 appearances so far, scoring three goals and providing his teammates with two assists.
The stories began with claims that Juventus and Real Madrid were showing great interest, but lately, they’ve been overshadowed by those suggesting that a race for his services might develop within the Premier League. Chelsea were said to be slightly ahead of Manchester United, with both teams put off by West Ham’s huge asking price (over £100 million) for their primary target, Declan Rice.
But Chelsea have put all their transfer plans on hold for a while, until the problems they’re facing regarding the ownership of Roman Abramovich are dealt with. And if Manchester United were expecting their job would become easier because of it, they will have been dismayed by fresh claims, coming from the Daily Express, that Liverpool have now entered the race.
Both United and Liverpool are in need of a defensive midfielder. United only have 33-year-old Nemanja Matic as a designated option for the role, and the Serb is well past his best days. Liverpool are surely in a much better situation with Fabinho, 28, currently on top of his game, but they still lack proper cover for the role.
Thouameni is contracted to Monaco until the summer of 2024, so no cut-price deal is likely to happen this summer. However, the French club might be open to offers for that exact reason, this probably being the last chance for them to get the full market value for the player unless a new contract is signed in the near future.
