Fabrizio Romano has delivered an emphatic update on Manchester United potentially signing Aurelien Tchouameni from Real Madrid following their failure to land Mateus Fernandes.
News broke on Tuesday night of Tottenham having an £85m bid accepted for Fernandes. Both they and Man Utd had battled for the Portuguese’s signature, though the player never indicated a clear preference on who he wanted to join.
That stance allowed West Ham to hold out for the best deal possible, and in the end, Spurs agreed to pay £85m in guaranteed payments, whereas Man Utd’s offer included add-ons.
All being well, Fernandes will now become Tottenham’s record signing, with the Red Devils once again forced to look elsewhere for their second signing in central midfield after Ederson.
If getting their way, Man Utd would bring Real Madrid and France starter, Aurelien Tchouameni, to Old Trafford.
It’s no secret United adore the 26-year-old who is viewed internally as the perfect successor to Casemiro as the more defensive-minded option of the bunch.
But when taking toYouTube, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano explained the two reasons why Tchouameni to Man Utd is a non-starter right now.
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Aurelien Tchouameni to Man Utd requires huge sacrifice
“Tchouameni is a dream signing for Man Utd, they love the player,” began Romano. “But at the moment, the financials of the deal are considered still too high.
“Because also the salary, it’s not just about Real Madrid, it’s also about the salary, his wages are considered too high.
“So the only way to open doors for Tchouameni to Man Utd after missing out on Mateus Fernandes is to discuss a completely different salary.
“At the moment that’s not something that’s happening.”
Man Utd exploring midfield alternatives
As we saw with Fernandes and previously with Man Utd pulling out of the race to sign Elliot Anderson, INEOS are not prepared to break the bank this summer.
They’ll only advance in deals if they believe the financials make sense, and given Tchouameni’s salary is sky high, it appears highly unlikely there’ll be a compromise on the Frenchman’s wages.
That again puts Man Utd back into the market for alternatives, with Carlos Baleba, Sandro Tonali and Alex Scott three others on their radar.
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The issue of cost will likely deter Man Utd from moving for Tonali. Tottenham already have an agreement on personal terms in place anyway and are prepared to bid more than £100m for the Newcastle talisman.
Bournemouth don’t want to sell Scott and instead, aim to tie the midfielder down to a new contract that would contain a release clause. Arsenal recently saw an approach emphatically rebuffed by the Cherries.
Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund) and Sander Berge (Fulham) are also under consideration.