Rio Ferdinand wants Manchester United to jump ahead of Liverpool by signing Real Madrid star Aurelien Tchouameni.
Before joining Los Blancos from Monaco last year, Tchouameni was a reported Jurgen Klopp target. Madrid ultimately came out on top and signed the Frenchman for a fee that could reach €100million.
While the midfielder has not struggled for game time, his performances have been unconvincing. Barcelona romped to their first La Liga title in four years as Real Madrid failed domestically and on the continent - finishing 10 points behind their bitter rivals while being battered by Manchester City in the Champions League.
An honest admission from Tchouameni, dropped by France midway through last season in favour of club team-mate Eduardo Camavinga, saw him open up about his struggles. He said earlier this year: "I am confident, I know what I can do. There can be difficult moments in an athlete's career.
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“It's the first time it happened to me - but I'm still learning. There's a lot of competition at Real and you need to be good to play."
However, poor form has done little to squash the rumours linking Tchouameni with Liverpool. Spanish outlet Nacional are reporting that the Reds view the 23-year-old’s underwhelming debut campaign for Madrid as an opportunity to land their man.
But former Man United defender Ferdinand believes the Red Devils should hijack any potential deal. Erik ten Hag’s side had a bid rejected for Mason Mount, with Chelsea asking for around £60million - despite him having one year left on his contract.
“In midfield, you know who I would go and get? I would go try to get Tchouameni,” Ferdinand told his Vibe with Five podcast. “He is going to be the one who doesn’t play, he is the odd man out at the minute. (He would be a) massive improvement.”
