Mitchell could give Manchester United key advantage in Aurelien Tchouameni pursuit

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Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick was spotted at Old Trafford with Monaco sporting director Paul Mitchell on Thursday night.

Mitchell was there as a guest for the FA Youth Cup game. He used to work with Rangnick at RB Leipzig and there is a possibility he could be asked to join United in a behind the scenes role, with The Athletic reporting United are looking to hire a ‘deputy football director’.

Tchouameni boost

United deciding to hire Mitchell could be a major boost in the race to sign Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.

Tchouameni is a France international who impressed Paul Pogba last year, with the United midfielder hailing the young gun as ‘exceptional’.

Tchouameni is a defensive midfielder and The Athletic reported in January that Manchester United are monitoring him.

Monaco paid just £15 million to sign Tchouameni from Bordeaux. He would now cost in the region of £50 million, Marca recently reported.

Mitchell has previously shown a willingness to raid his old teams for talent. After taking the job as Tottenham head of recruitment in 2014, he beat former club Southampton to sign Toby Alderweireld, and then sanctioned a move to bring in Victor Wanyama from the Saints.

He could repeat the trick with a move to bring Tchouameni to Old Trafford, and certainly, you could say his hiring gives United a unique edge.

Why Tchouameni is so coveted

Marca report Real Madrid are keen on the Frenchman along with Chelsea. The Athletic report Liverpool are also among his admirers.

FBRef.com list Tchouameni ranking number one in Ligue 1 for interceptions, with 79, and fourth for tackles with 75, with Whoscored.com listing him at 2.8 tackles per game.

Mitchell has already spoken highly of him. He told The Athletic: “If I was at a big club and saw a profile like Aurelien, I would want his services. I believe he can play in the best leagues in the world and dominate the biggest games in the world.

“We enjoy working with him but we know the market too. We are aware one day an offer could come and know where we are in the market. We’d have to look at it seriously.”

Monaco know they can’t keep him forever either. If Mitchell did make his long-mooted move to Manchester United, Tchouameni would be high on his list of targets.

Factor in Manchester United’s long-awaited need for a defensive midfielder, and there is a really strong case to say Tchouameni would be Mitchell’s top target – and he should really be close to the top of United’s list already.