Man Utd would love to sign Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, but their chances of a deal look to have been dashed.
Aurelien Tchouameni of Real Madrid.
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Real Madrid president Florentino Perez replied "for me, sure" when asked if Aurelien Tchouameni will remain at the Bernabeu next season. United will sign a Casemiro replacement this summer, and Tchouameni is viewed as a dream signing at Old Trafford.
Tchouameni, 26, has contributed to huge Champions League wins during his time with Madrid and came close to winning the World Cup with France.
Tchouameni's recent fallout with Federico Valverde during a training session, which resulted in both players being fined €500,000 by Madrid, had the potential to increase United's chances of signing the Frenchman.
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However, Madrid president Perez has said that both players will remain in the Spanish capital. Perez confirmed his stance in an interview with El Pais.
Tchouameni played down his clash with Valverde when he spoke to French journalists at a press conference at Clairefontaine, France's national team training centre, on Sunday.
"Obviously, things happened, you could see and hear about it in the media," Tchouameni said. "It was blown out of proportion because it was in the news, and when you play for Real Madrid, that creates a huge reaction.
"A lot of nonsense was said in the press. I read that there was a fight and that I had punched him, which wasn't the case. I won't go into details. The most important thing is that the club was aware of what happened.
"There are a lot of things that happen in the locker room that don't make it into the press. Life goes on. Fede and I have a common goal: to win titles with Real Madrid. There's no problem. On a personal level, there are no problems with Valverde right now."
Jose Mourinho is set to be unveiled as Madrid's new manager on a three-year deal. Mourinho is expected to keep Tchouameni for his first season back at Madrid.
Tensions between United and Madrid were high due to the La Liga side's pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo during Sir Alex Ferguson's time in charge at Old Trafford, but the Reds have signed Angel Di Maria, Raphael Varane and Casemiro since his retirement.
With Tchouameni now expected to stay at Madrid, United's midfield shortlist includes the likes of Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson, Newcastle player Sandro Tonali and Brighton's Carlos Baleba. The club is also monitoring Mateus Fernandes' situation after West Ham's relegation.
United are moving closer to signing Ederson from Atalanta as their first summer deal.