Manchester United need one more midfield signing to complete their summer rebuild and Michael Carrick needs a player like Aurelien Tchouameni, not Manu Kone.
With deals for Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans now finalised, Manchester United are one midfield signing away from completing their rebuild.
According to Fabrizio Romano, United have made contact with Manu Kone as the potential third signing.
Andy Mitten claims that Aurelien Tchouameni could still be available despite reports he is set to sign an extension to his Real Madrid contract. Out of the French duo, it is the profile of Tchouameni that United need.
Aurelien Tchouameni is set to stay with Real Madrid… So WHO should be Man Utd’s marquee midfield signing?
What are your thoughts on where United turn next?!
Aurelien Tchouameni overshadowed Manu Kone in France defeat
France were knocked out of the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday evening, losing 2-0 to Spain in the semi-finals.
Aurelien Tchouameni was on the losing side, but he was France’s best player on the night, as backed up by his SofaScore rating.
The 26-year-old was the highest-rated French player, earning a 6.8/10 for his performance. It was his defensive stats that stood out, especially in comparison to United target Manu Kone, who came on as a half-time substitute.
| Aurelien Tchouameni | Stats vs Spain | Manu Kone |
| 89% (54/61) | Pass completion | 86% (24/28) |
| 7 | Defensive contributions | 0 |
| 4 | Tackles | 0 |
| 1 | Interceptions | 0 |
| 2 | Clearances | 0 |
| 83% (5/6) | Ground duels | 17% (1/6) |
| 100% (1/1) | Aerial duels | 0% (0/1) |
Tchouameni dominated every single defensive stat compared to Kone. United want a defensive-minded midfielder, and Kone just proved that he isn’t the right profile for what the Red Devils need.
CAPTION THIS… Picture from when Andrey Santos came up against Aurelien Tchouameni on international duty
An old school Caption Competition 🏆
Could Manchester United still sign Aurelien Tchouameni?
It sadly looks as though Tchouameni has used United for an improved contract at Madrid.
Jose Mourinho is said to consider Tchouameni as untouchable in Spain, so the chances of a deal do look incredibly slim.
But there is still a slice of hope that Tchouameni could still arrive at Old Trafford. United’s rebuild, so far, has been done on a small budget.
READ MORE: Five conflicting claims about Aurelien Tchouameni’s transfer to Manchester United
United have a £250m transfer budget in total, so there is money to spend on a marquee arrival. Now that Santos and Tielemans have signed, perhaps that could help to convince Tchouameni of United’s title-winning aspirations.
But a big problem is that Ineos want players who are desperate to play for United, and so far it seems that Tchouameni is eager to stay in Madrid.
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