Liverpool have missed out on signing Aurelien Tchouameni after Real Madrid agreed a fee with Monaco worth £80 million, according to multiple reports.
The 22-year-old had agreed personal terms with the Reds but Los Blancos have gazumped Jurgen Klopp and co, who were always wary of Tchouameni's preference of a move to Santiago Bernabeu. The Athletic claim that Real have stumped up a total package of €100m and verbally agreed terms for the French sensation, who will leave Monaco after two-and-a-half star-making seasons.
Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and Chelsea were also linked with Tchouameni, who has established himself as one of Europe's most exciting centre midfielders since breaking through at Bordeaux as a teenager.
Los Blancos' powerful swoop sees them improve a midfield made up of enough eye-watering talent already, as chief playmaker and ex- Tottenham Hotspur ace Luka Modric is expected to extend his contract in the Spanish capital and continue playing alongside the likes of Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Federico Valverde and Edouardo Camavinga.
The acquisition also follows the arrival of German defender Antonio Rudiger on a free transfer from Chelsea, as the newly-crowned champions of Europe make up for missing out on Tchouameni's France teammate, Kylian Mbappe.
After making his international debut in November 2021 and helping Les Blues win the Nations League, the dynamic midfielder - blessed with elite technical attributes as well as marvellous defensive and physical qualities - has amassed 10 caps for France and is set to feature for Didier Deschamps ' side at the World Cup in Qatar later this year.
Monaco officially made it clear last month that they would be willing to sell Tchouameni for the right price, as sporting director Paul Mitchell - formerly of Tottenham, Southampton and RB Lezipig - told RMC Sport : "Everyone was able to see what a top player Aurelien is, but everyone also knows that we are an ambitious club with an ambitious shareholder.
"So no, I have no preference when it comes to selling him. We will have to be very aggressive in terms of the fee we demand to lose such an incredibly gifted player."
Join the debate! Who should Liverpool sign instead of Tchouameni? Give us your pick in the comments section.
On how difficult Monaco's task will be to replace the ace, Mitchell affirmed: "That's why he's so sought after! The market is usually pretty smart especially in the clubs you mentioned. That's why replacing him will be incredibly difficult but we will try to increase the full capacity of the team. I think it's important to keep building the team and not just focus on the individuals that make it up.
"We have a very competitive style of play and for us it would be a mark of success to build the depth of the team and the quality of the whole group because we are also going to come out of the pre-season with matches that will continue until mid-September. That's why I think replacing Aurelien Tchouameni at that time would be a difficult task, but it would be for anyone."
