Man Utd have been linked with Real Madrid's midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni as per The Telegraph.
The article also says that United "have NO interest in spreading themselves too thinly and signing mediocrity this summer. However, various pieces may have to fall into place in the transfer window for them to sign Aurélien Tchouaméni."
☝ This indicates that there is potential for this deal even if it might seem a little difficult.
But my issue is that, why would Real Madrid potentially be looking to let a player like this leave?
On the surface of it, Tchouameni ticks a lot of the boxes for what you would want in a midfielder.
He's big, tall and strong - attributes that are nigh on perfect for the physicality of the Premier League, is decent on the ball, can play different positions (CDM, CM, CB) which shows versatility, and at 26-years-old, he isn't even in his prime yet. In fact, that age fits right into INEOS' age parameter as they are looking for players around 26 and younger.
Despite being somewhat young, Tchouameni has already played a lot of football at the highest level and won the biggest trophies including the Champions League. He was also a key component in France's 2022 run to the World Cup final and is still an important player for Didier Dechamps.
So when you look at him like that, what's not to like?
Yet similarly to Michael Carrick and his good results, it's not just about the surface. One has to go beyond that to see whether they actually make sense for United.
This article that was posted early this morning by Managing Madrid, a huge and well-known Real Madrid outlet, have highlighted some of the issues faced by Tchouameni in his four years at the club.
But it's this section here that concerns me about Tchouameni at United:
"However, ever since Ancelotti’s departure, Tchouaméni has taken a step back in his footballing production. With neither Luka Modrić nor Toni Kroos there to hold his hand in possession, he’s being forced to take more risks on the ball and execute actions that simply aren’t in his repertoire.
This, combined with a lack of discipline, has resulted in him being caught out with careless giveaways as well as rash tackles – this would end up costing Real as he missed the second leg against Bayern due to yellow card accumulation.
All things considered, Tchouaméni hasn’t yet managed to pay off his lofty price tag or prove why Real hand picked him as their long-term successor to Casemiro’s throne. And while he may not be one of the first names that Real will be looking to move on from him this summer, he also hasn’t proven that he deserves to be a part of their long-term future."
Those are some pretty worrying words in my opinion 😬.
CDM and replacing Casemiro is United's top priority in the transfer window. We simply HAVE to bring in a player in that position.
But you look at this article where it says he hasn't really taken over from Casemiro as Madrid would've wanted is not something that we can ignore. The Frenchman has also been there for almost four years!
So if he hasn't replaced the Brazilian after four years in a league that is easier than the PL, does that not indicate he might have problems trying to do the same thing in a harder league?
To then say that he needs players who are good on the ball around him in order to get the best out of him, is something else we have to look at.
CDM is such an important position and ideally, you'd want a player who's good on the ball and if that ain't Tchouameni, then it is a real issue.
The only player we have that we have who is good in possession and can play that supporting role is Kobbie Mainoo but as we know, many have their reservations about him.
The England international is also very young and while he does possess the ability to play at this level and do the role we want, I find that it would be too much of a risk to go into next season with a midfield that has quite a few risks. One of them is only 21 as well.
We already know that United need at least three new midfielders anyway. Casemiro is moving on and Manuel Ugarte is well... Manuel Ugarte. That leaves just Mainoo.
If you then go and sign Tchouameni knowing that he needs help next to him, that could force the club to go and do the business needed.
That could be a positive.
As Tchouameni is having to do a lot of things that he doesn't normally do, he's being found out. This is why he's picked up ten yellow cards this season.
Very il-disciplined indeed.
And we know that with United, the officials seem to have something against us more than most when you look at a lot of decisions that we received compared to others.
Casemiro for example, never received a red card in his entire nine years at the club. He's picked up three for United, two of which came in his first season.
If Tchouameni has a similar disciplinary issue...
On top of this, if you look at his injury history, while it may not be the worst, it isn't the best either:
To have a player in such a key position as CDM missing large periods of the season is not ideal. Look at how his absence impacted Madrid in their defeat to Bayern.
Tchouameni's contract also ends in 2028 which means he could cost a good sum as well. Whether Real Madrid will be able to make up that £70m they spent on him from Monaco is another matter but I'm sure they'll expect a decent fee.
After all, they did get that amount for Casemiro when he was 30 so anything is possible.
Casemiro no doubt, is a difficult player to replace - for anyone. But I just find that with Tchouameni, there are more red flags than green flags with him.
This article by Managing Madrid also tells me that he is more of a risk than I or anyone else, may have thought.
I know that Real Madrid have higher standards than most. And a player like Tchouameni might not be good enough for those high standards, but he just might be for us.
However, why should United not have those same high standards? We would like to be on the same level as Madrid so why not start acting like them?
I'm not saying that he is a bad player, because he isn't, but considering Madrid's reservations of him, his discipline issue and being a bit injury prone, he's a player that I would look to avoid if possible.
Aurelian Tchouameni is listed as one of Man Utd's Casemiro replacements | Image credit: Getty Images via Goal