Blow For Liverpool As Major Transfer Target Chooses Another Club

Liverpool are out of the race for French starlet Aurélien Tchouaméni, with Real Madrid now the favourites to secure his signature, according to reports

The 22-year-old midfielder had been linked with a move to the Merseyside club, with Jurgen Klopp keen to bolster his midfield options as he looks to freshen up an ageing squad.

However, with Real Madrid tracking the player’s situation for a number of months now, they appear the frontrunners as Tchouaméni himself is understood to favour a move to the champions of Europe.

Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain had held direct talks with his agent over a potential deal, but these talks have supposedly fallen through as the star has indicated his desire to play for the Spanish champions.

Tchouaméni signed for Monaco in January 2020 and has made 95 appearances for the club, scoring 8 goals in that time. In the past two seasons, his stock has risen as he’s burst onto the scene and attracted interest from several top European clubs. 

He also broke into the French national team this season, and has now accumulated 8 caps, scoring once. Securing a move to one of Europe’s elite could be pivotal in his attempts to solidify himself in the national team ahead of this winter’s World Cup in Qatar. 

Klopp has been impressed with Tchouaméni’s technical quality, but also his productive defensive output. This made him a top target for the Reds as they looked to add more depth to a midfield consisting of older players such as Thiago Alcantara, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho. 

However, it now looks as though they’ll pursue other targets as Tchouaméni looks out of reach. The likes of Gavi from Barcelona, Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund and Nicolo Barella from Inter Milan have been touted as potential options.