Ever since it emerged last week that both Fabinho and Jordan Henderson had strong interest from the Saudi Pro League, Liverpool have been linked with a plethora of midfielders as they inevitably seek to replace the potentially departing duo.
Among them is Aurelien Tchouameni, who Jurgen Klopp had tried to sign in 2022 when the France international was at Monaco, only for him to opt for Real Madrid instead.
That hasn’t stopped the Reds from preserving their admiration of him, as hinted by both Fabrizio Romano and Neil Jones, but it looks like they’ll keep having to worship from afar.
According to the Daily Mail, in a report running the rule over prospective midfield additions, Liverpool continue to admire the 23-year-old, but the player is currently reluctant to leave the Bernabeu, which presents a significant obstacle to the Merseysiders’ hopes of signing him.
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This report comes just days after Tchouameni himself liked a tweet from a Real Madrid fan account which insisted that he’s ‘not for sale’, with those three words capitalised for emphasis.
Ever since Liverpool’s unsuccessful pursuit of him last year, it’s seemed that the 23-year-old’s heart has been with Los Blancos and that it’ll take a seismic change of events to alter his stance.
It’s a shame that the Frenchman appears to be out of reach, having been described by Rio Ferdinand during the 2022 World Cup as a ‘superb talent and ‘incredible player’ who produces moments out of nowhere’ (BBC Sport, via football.london).
However, rather than wasting time trying to embark down a path which looks like it’ll lead to a dead end, the Reds must instead turn their attention to other midfielders who might be more receptive to making the move to Anfield.
The good news is that Liverpool seem to be casting a wide net in that regard when you look at the variety of names being linked (Daily Mail), and hopefully one or two of those will call Merseyside their home by the end of August.