Erik ten Hag wants to sign 23-year-old Real Madrid star as midfield partner for Casemiro at Manchester United: Reports
Manchester United officials have reportedly traveled to Spain to hold talks with Real Madrid. They want to sign Aurélien Tchouaméni this summer after sealing the deal for Mason Mount.
As per a report in El Nacional, Manchester United are planning a massive midfield rebuild and want to add more firepower. They have secured a £60 million deal for Mount to arrive from Chelsea, and are now working on getting Tchouaméni.
Real Madrid are open to the same and want €80 million from the Red Devils. The Frenchman is yet to make a decision on his future but is keen on playing more.
Erik ten Hag reportedly sees the former AS Monaco star as the perfect partner for Casemiro in the heart of the midfield. The Dutchman has a plan to integrate the Frenchman and the Brazilian with Mount and Bruno Fernandes.
The report added that Manchester United were also interested in the midfielder when he was at Monaco. However, they could not get a deal done with the Ligue1 side and he moved to Real Madrid.
Why Aurélien Tchouaméni picked Real Madrid over Manchester United and PSG
Aurélien Tchouaméni has revealed that he rejected PSG as soon as he knew about Real Madrid's interest. He did not want to think of any other club looking to sign him despite having interest from Chelsea and Manchester United, as per Marca.
He was quoted by Telefoot as saying:
"As soon as I heard that Real was in the running, I didn't think about it. I told my agent to do everything to try to find an agreement between AS Monaco and the club. I did not hesitate with PSG. Afterward, PSG is a very big European club, but my choice was already turned towards Madrid."
Meanwhile, Tchouaméni's former teammate Cesc Fabregas has revealed that he had informed Barcelona about the Frenchman before the move to Real Madrid. However, the Catalan side could not afford the signing and thus ended up missing out.
The former Arsenal star was quoted by SPORT as saying:
"I know Tchouaméni very well. I spoke to people at Barça about signing him. I thought he was a great player for the future, but financially he couldn't be signed. I gave my opinion to another former team and in the end, he went to the rival club. You have to take advantage of market opportunities."
El Nacional has added that PSG are also in the running for Aurélien Tchouaméni this summer. They have offered Marco Verratti in a swap deal and Carlo Ancelotti has not ruled it out.