Florentino Perez reveals that Liverpool tried to sign Aurelien Tchouameni
While speaking in a press conference as quoted by Liverpool Echo, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez revealed that Liverpool tried to sign French starlet Aurelien Tchouameni before Real Madrid secured the transfer.
The Frenchman has established himself as one of Europe’s most promising young midfielders after joining AS Monaco from Bordeaux in January 2020. His development has been on an upward trajectory and is today among the best young midfielders in European football.
In the previous two and a half years, the 22-year-old has advanced leaps and bounds, and he has also established himself as a regular for the French national team.
Tchouameni has made 94 appearances for AS Monaco in the previous two and a half years, scoring eight goals and assisting seven times.
Real Madrid won the battle to recruit the player from the Ligue 1 club in the summer transfer window after his talents drew the interest of numerous high-profile clubs throughout Europe.
Perez said the Frenchman was targeted by Liverpool but he only wanted to play for Real Madrid.
“Tchouameni deal? Someone told him he had to go at Paris Saint-Germain… yes, (Kylian) Mbappe was trying but this is normal,” said Perez. PSG and Liverpool wanted Tchouameni, it’s normal to have competition. He only wanted Real Madrid.”
Tchouameni was a target for Liverpool this summer, and it was no secret that the Reds were keen to sign him. The 22-year-old ended up joining the Spanish Champions for a rumoured £85million.
We might have had a better chance of luring Tchouameni away this summer if the Mbappe situation between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid had not occurred.
At the time, it appeared like Madrid would spend a significant portion of their summer transfer window money on Kylian Mbappe. Which created the perfect opportunity for Liverpool to barge in and sign Tchouameni.
But that didn’t happen, and with so many teams interested in the French midfielder, Monaco had the advantage of demanding a high transfer price.
It’s difficult to persuade a player to change his mind about a club like Real Madrid. But it’s good to know Liverpool was a serious contender for one of the top young players in the world.
Liverpool’s inability to sign Tchouameni this summer does not have to be the end of their aspirations of bolstering their midfield.
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Liverpool might be able to get away with it for another year. However, with the defence and attack both improving over the previous year, the midfield appears to be significantly deficient.
There’s still a long way to go until the end of the summer window. Liverpool has done a fantastic job thus far, but they must stay active in order to close this gap.
