Liverpool have opened contacts with French footballer Aurelian Tchouameni as they look to beat Real Madrid to the signing of the talented Monaco player.
It was thought that Chelsea were in the driving seat for any deal last summer, but recent events at ownership level have put pay to that and it was Real Madrid that, as recently as March, were the favorites for his signature.
But Liverpool are now thought to have made contact with the representatives of the 22 year old, who has already played 8 times for France in the heart of midfield, including in their win over Spain in the final of the Nations League, where he partnered Paul Pogba.
He has been impressive for Monaco this campaign too, racking up 32 appearances in the French top flight to help them into the 4th spot, albeit a long way from pace setters Paris Saint Germain.
And as per FootMercato reporter Santi Aouna, the performances of Tchouameni have caught the eye of Jurgen Klopp and the powers that be on Merseyside.
🚨Info : Ă€ la recherche d’un milieu de terrain, #Liverpool cible AurĂ©lien Tchouameni 🇫🇷.
• Des contacts ont été deja entamés entre les parties.
• Le milieu de #monaco est intĂ©ressĂ© Ă l’idĂ©e d’Ă©voluer en Premier League. https://t.co/msqZQPVqu9
— Santi Aouna (@Santi_J_FM) April 26, 2022
Following in Fabinho’s footsteps?
Tchouameni, of course, would be following in the footsteps of Fabinho should he swap Monaco for Merseyside, with the Brazilian now considered one of the best defensive players in world football.
Of course, on the flip side the Frenchman would also be competing with the 28 year old for a starting berth in all likelihood, although he could also move further forwards to replace the aging Jordan Henderson if need be.
And whether Liverpool could agree a deal for the Frenchman before Real Madrid pounce is another matter.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City | 33 | 59 | 80 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 33 | 63 | 79 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 32 | 40 | 65 |
| 4 | Arsenal FC | 33 | 12 | 60 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 33 | 18 | 58 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 34 | 2 | 54 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 34 | 8 | 52 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 33 | 4 | 49 |
| 9 | Newcastle United | 34 | -15th | 43 |
| 10 | Leicester City | 32 | -4 | 42 |
| 11 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 34 | -11 | 41 |
| 12 | Brentford FC | 34 | -8 | 40 |
| 13 | Southampton FC | 34 | -16 | 40 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 32 | 2 | 37 |
| 15th | Aston Villa | 32 | -4 | 37 |
| 16 | Leeds United | 32 | -30 | 33 |
| 17 | Burnley FC | 33 | -16 | 31 |
| 18 | Everton FC | 32 | -21 | 29 |
| 19 | Watford FC | 33 | -36 | 22 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 33 | -47 | 21 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 22 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 17 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 16 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 15th |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 14 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 12 |
| Tony, Ivan | Brentford FC | 12 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 11 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 11 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 11 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 11 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 10 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 10 |
| Pukki, Teemu | Norwich City | 10 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 10 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 10 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 10 |
| Smith-Rowe, Emile | Arsenal FC | 10 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 9 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 9 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 10 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 9 |
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Bednarek, Jan | Southampton FC | 0 | 9 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 9 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 9 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 8 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 9 |
| Mctominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 1 | 7 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 8 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 8 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 9 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 9 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 9 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 8 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 8 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 7 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 7 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 7 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 6 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 6 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |
| Antonio, Michael | West Ham United | 6 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 6 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 6 |
| James, Rece | Chelsea FC | 6 |