Manchester United may be about to suffer yet another major setback in their search for a new midfield leader.
According to fresh reports, Real Madrid have offered highly rated midfielder Eduardo Camavinga to Manchester City.
New Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho is reportedly unconvinced by the French international and is prepared to sacrifice him in order to finance the arrival of a new creative midfielder.
That unexpected development could deal a huge blow to INEOS, who have been dreaming of bringing Aurelien Tchouameni to Old Trafford this summer.
Real Madrid were reportedly open to listening to offers for Tchouameni because they believed Camavinga would remain at the club.
However, it is difficult to imagine the Spanish giants allowing both French midfielders to leave during the same transfer window.
If Manchester City step up their pursuit of Camavinga, Real Madrid are far more likely to keep Tchouameni.
United have already been forced to abandon moves for Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali because of their enormous transfer valuations and wage demands.
They also turned down an opportunity to meet the £85 million asking price set by West Ham United for Mateus Fernandes.
Fernandes has now officially joined Tottenham Hotspur, while Tonali is also expected to complete a move to North London soon.
Anderson is also on the verge of joining City after an agreement was reached with Nottingham Forest for a transfer worth £116m.
If the opportunity to sign Tchouameni genuinely arises, he is one player United should seriously consider breaking the bank for.
Adam Wharton, Carlos Baleba and Alex Scott are among the other names linked with United, but the French international would be the ideal replacement for Casemiro.
With the midfield market quickly disappearing, INEOS may have no choice but to open talks with Madrid immediately and discover whether a deal is still possible.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com