One of Liverpool’s main domestic rivals have submitted a big-money transfer bid for a player who’s also been linked with the Reds.
According to Spanish outlet Defensa Central, Newcastle have made an offer of €80m (£68m) to Real Madrid for Aurelien Tchouameni, with the same outlet claiming last week that the Reds’ own bid (which was 25% lower than that from St James’ Park) was swiftly rejected.
However, Kopites shouldn’t worry unduly, as the report stated that Los Blancos see the 23-year-old as a core player at the Bernabeu and have no intention of selling him.
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Although Real Madrid’s firm ‘not for sale’ stance on the midfielder makes it incredibly unlikely that Liverpool will sign him, it should at least ensure that one of our direct Premier League rivals won’t be able to land him either.
It’s little wonder that Carlo Ancelotti’s side are so eager to hold onto Tchouameni, who ranked among the top 1% of positional peers in Europe’s five main leagues in 2022/23 for pass completion (92.9%) and interceptions per game (1.98), as per FBref.
He was also dubbed a ‘superb talent’ and ‘incredible player’ by Rio Ferdinand on BBC punditry duty during France’s run to the World Cup final six months ago (via @theMadridZone on Twitter and This Is Futbol).
He made 50 appearances in total for Real Madrid last season (Transfermarkt), a sure sign of how much the manager trusts him, and no mean feat considering the abundance of riches they have in the middle of the park.
He sadly looks out of reach for Liverpool, but at least the LaLiga giants will probably also send Newcastle’s bid back where it came from, and in any case the Reds can continue to focus on their plethora of more plausible midfield transfer targets over the summer.