Krishnan Sreekumar
Chelsea in ‘best position’ to beat Manchester United in the transfer race for AS Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni
According to Spanish outlet Sport as per SportWitness (h/t The Sun), Chelsea are said to be leading the transfer race to sign AS Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, providing a big blow to Manchester United who were eyeing him for a summer move.
United are looking to improve their midfield ahead of the new season given how poorly their current options in the middle of the pitch have performed this term, proving to be a weak link for the team. They have neither been able to complement the attack nor shield the defence effectively.
Interim manager Ralf Rangnick has preferred to use a double pivot with Scott McTominay and Fred, but the pair have been underwhelming when played together and have not proven that they can take their game to the next level when coming up against stronger opposition.
Other options include Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic, but with the former running down his contract with the club and expected to depart for free in the summer and the latter waning in his performances due to his age catching up with him, the Manchester side was looking to Tchouameni as a transfer target.
Blues lead the race
However, Chelsea are said to be in the best position to sign the 22-year-old and have been tracking the Frenchman for months. Their primary obstacle in securing his services at the end of the season is down to the sanctions that have been placed on the club by the UK Government, which makes them currently unable to negotiate any transfers.
New owners are expected at Stamford Bridge in the near future, and any new recruits will be dependent on how much they are willing to spend in the upcoming transfer window. The Monaco star is expected to cost around £50m, so it would be a huge investment for the club chiefs.
Not just United, other European clubs like Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are also set to lose the France international to Thomas Tuchel’s side, if they are able to move past their current transfer embargo situation.
For the Red Devils, Tchouameni would have been the ideal midfield target as his age and the ability he has shown in France and in Europe prove that he could prove to be a midfield lynchpin for a team for years to come. A position that Michael Carrick made his own until his retirement in 2018 is yet to be filled by another player.
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The English side is missing exactly that, with the current midfield options unable to step up and dictate the tempo of the game or take control of proceedings in the middle of the park against opposition that overrun the pitch. Pogba is one player we usually rely on to do that, but his potential departure could change all that.
With one Frenchman seemingly looking like he is exiting the club in the summer, there lies an opportunity to replace him with another Frenchman – with an added advantage of being a younger and fresher alternative. If Chelsea’s current situation continues, then we may yet hold the key to snapping the Monaco star for ourselves ahead of the new season.
