Rumour Mongering: Liverpool Make Contact with Aurélien Tchouameni’s Camp

Liverpool FC Twitter was caught ablaze yesterday after Santi Aouna of Foot Mercato published a report of the club making contact with AS Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni’s camp over a possible move in the summer.

This report also comes on the heels of some brief mentions of Liverpool's interest in the French midfielder in The Athletic journalist David Ornstein’s rumour briefings last year. Aouna claims that Jürgen Klopp has made Tchouameni a top priority for the summer in an attempt to bolster the club’s midfield department.

The 22-year-old is in hot demand this summer after his stellar displays for Monaco in Ligue 1. Signed from Bordeaux in January 2020, Tchouameni has since gone on to make his debut for the French national team and is considered to be an important cog in their setup for the future. Capable of playing as both a defensive and central midfielder, Tchouameni’s gifts definitely are more defensive, with really strong numbers in aerial duels, tackles and interceptions. He’d definitely be a steely addition to a Liverpool midfield.

The Reds’ main rivals for the player would appear to be Real Madrid. Los Blancos were apparently closing on a deal for Tchouameni, whom they are hoping to pair with fellow French starlet Eduardo Camavinga.

As much as I would love for this to happen, it does feel more likely that Tchouameni heads to Madrid. Their interest seems more concrete and has been reported for longer, so this could just be his camp letting Madrid know what’s up. And if you take a closer look at Madrid’s midfield depth, there is more of a natural fit for him, with Casemiro now 30 and missing games rather often. For comparison’s sake, Fabinho is 28 and just signed a five-year extension this past summer. As amazing of a Fabinho succession plan this would be, it does feels like a pipe dream.