Aurelien Tchoaumeni admitted that there had been contact between himself and Liverpool prior to his move to Real Madrid.
Nonetheless, the Frenchman made clear that as soon as Real Madrid were on the table there was only ever going to be one destination for him, in quotes relayed on Twitter by Fabrizio Romano.
Aurelien Tchouaméni confirms: “The first club to show interest in me was Liverpool. There were discussions, but as soon as Real Madrid entered, my mind was made up”, tells Le Parisien. 🇫🇷 #transfers
“I didn't hesitate for a second. I told my agent: bring me to Real Madrid”. pic.twitter.com/tfniVfNrSZ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 22, 2022
The Merseysiders sent enquiries Borussia Dortmund’s way for Jude Bellingham and are believed to have made an approach for Federico Valverde, though neither attempt bore fruit.
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It’s a shame of epic proportions that the 22-year-old’s head was turned by the current European champions, particularly in light of Fabinho’s struggles in the holding role since the start of the 2022/23 campaign.
That’s not to say there won’t be possible alternatives already being discussed ahead of the winter window and we’d certainly hope this is the area of the squad being prioritised at the current point in time.
There’s every possibility that we get our old No.3 back once the World Cup draws to a close, though its one gamble we simply can’t afford to take given how badly the midfield department has let us down in our pursuit of top four football.
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