Manchester United signed Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane over the summer, but they are keen to make their fourth major signing of the last 12 months soon with the incoming of Aurelien Tchouameni
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A whole host of Premier League clubs are preparing to enter a bidding war for Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, who recently won the Nations League with France.
At 21 years old, Tchouameni is one of the most exciting talents in world football.
The midfielder signed for Monaco from Bordeaux in 2020 and has set the Ligue 1 alight since, with his consistently top-quality performances capturing the interest of some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
Tchouameni is not often a goalscorer, however, he is great at intercepting the ball from deep and driving the ball forward, fuelling attacks and acting as a safety net for the more creative players that he lines up alongside.
Throughout the summer, rumours circulated that Manchester United were keen to sign the highly sought after player, however, ESPN has revealed that they won’t be the only English club battling it out for his signature.
Manchester City and Liverpool have also been scouting the midfielder and are interested in his £42million to £50million valuation.
City are set to lose veteran Fernandinho next year when his contract at the Etihad Stadium expires, whereas Liverpool did not sign a replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum over the summer, so their interest is understandable.
Whereas the Red Devils have identified Tchouameni as their replacement for Paul Pogba if he does not sign a contract extension at the club, which has been on the table since last July.
ESPN also claims Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are also in the race to sign the midfielder, and the latter could be the worst-case scenario for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his team.
Exciting PSG forward Kylian Mbappe looks Madrid-bound at the end of the season once his contract at Les Parc des Prices expires as Los Blancos look to return to being a club capable of competing in the La Liga as well as in the Champions League.
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The prospect of lining up alongside a future Ballon d’Or winner and someone he will share the dressing room with on international duty could be very attractive to Tchouameni, and if there is a French core in the Santiago Bernabeu then that could persuade Pogba to leave Old Trafford.
Pogba was linked with a move to Madrid over the summer, but ESPN has revealed that they aren’t the only Spanish side that has shortlisted the 28-year-old.
His agent, Mino Raiola, is said to have held talks with Barcelona about signing his client next summer, who have therefore taken a keen interest in his contract talks and how they may pan out over the coming months.
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Solskjaer will be eager to know whether Pogba still believes his future still lies at the Theatre of Dreams, because having paid £89.3m for him in 2016, they will not want to let him leave for free.
January is the last available opportunity for United to cash in on the former Juve man, however, that is also the same month that the player is contractually allowed to begin talks with other clubs.
It remains to be seen whether Pogba buys into Solskjaer’s vision and remains in the Premier League, though the signing of Tchouameni would indicate that they aren’t too confident that they have persuaded the 2018 World Cup winner to stay.