Aurelien Tchouameni is one of Europe’s most sought after midfielders and a potential perfect signing for Manchester United. The Athletic reported in January that United were monitoring the Monaco talent.
Tchouameni starred for France at the weekend, scoring an injury-time winner to seal a 2-1 comeback win over Eric Bailly’s Ivory Coast.
The 22-year-old now has eight caps for France and is in-demand this summer, with Marca reporting Real Madrid have him in their sights.
Last week we noted how Tchouameni would be a better fit for United than Paul Pogba, a player who admitted to Le Figaro he does not know what his role is at Old Trafford. Tchouameni is a defined defensive midfielder who could be the player United are looking for.
As far as Pogba goes, Tchouameni is a big admirer, and spoke highly of his international teammate after France’s recent win.
Tchouameni told Le Parisien: “As soon as I arrived [with France] he guided me and gave me lots of advice both on and off the pitch. I thank him very much. Today, he is one of the people who made me feel good here.
“Paul has a great quality of passing and he is always looking forward. Since I arrived he is the player with whom I have spent the most minutes on the pitch. It’s natural. We manage to delegate certain tasks. There is a nice complimentary.”
The prospect of the pair playing together at United is slim, with Pogba’s contract set to expire. A reunion at club level at PSG or Real Madrid is more likely.
It’s also unlikely Pogba gives a ringing endorsement for a move to Old Trafford for Tchouameni either, after six largely frustrating years in Manchester.
Tchouameni was asked about his future, a question he deflected, “Quite honestly, I’m not focusing on what’s next. I continue to work and progress and we will see later.”
United will have to pull out all the stops to land him. One potential advantage would be the speculated hire of Paul Mitchell if he became United’s head of recruitment [The Mail], who has overseen his rise at Monaco.
If his rise has become too quick, and he moves out of United’s range due to a lack of Champions League football next season, the club will have to work harder to find the ‘next Tchouameni’ already.
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