Aurélien Tchouaméni transfer news: Fabrizio Romano called it a done deal. Aurélien Tchouaméni had penned a shiny new contract extension in the Spanish capital, and the bulk of Old Trafford’s online fanbase simply moved on to the next shiny rumour. Except Andy Mitten didn’t buy it.
Aurélien Tchouaméni transfer news: Real Madrid’s secret open door for Manchester United
Writing for The National and popping up on The Athletic’s Talk of the Devils podcast, the seasoned United journalist dropped a proper grenade. Right after the contract PR hit the wire, Mitten pinged his contact inside the Bernabéu. The reply was short, sharp, and totally flipped the script: “They could still sell him.”
Just like that, a story everyone assumed was dead in the water suddenly had fresh legs. United’s long-standing admiration for the 26-year-old midfielder is no industry secret. What is new, however, is the word that Tchouaméni himself wouldn’t turn his nose up at a move to M16 if Madrid decide he’s surplus to requirements.
Context is everything in transfer market gymnastics. Why hand a guy a three-year bump on improved money if you’re open to offloading him? Mitten laid out the mechanics pretty clearly. Real Madrid gave Tchouaméni that extension largely because they didn’t think Manchester City’s Rodri was obtainable at the time.
Then came Spain’s World Cup triumph, and the whispers linking Rodri back to Madrid turned into a deafening roar. That changes things. Dramatically.
If Florentino Pérez decides to throw everything at signing Rodri, flogging Tchouaméni stops looking like a panicked gamble and starts looking like sensible bookkeeping. Football365 reckons United could snatch him for around £68 million. A bargain, frankly, for a player of his standing, even if Madrid previously laughed off a €120 million bid earlier in the window. With his formal extension still technically awaiting full announcement, his existing deal runs to 2028. There’s a window here. Slim, sure, but real.
The numbers behind the noise
Look at his last campaign in Spain, total workhorse material. Tchouaméni racked up 31 starts in 33 La Liga outings, grinding through 2,625 minutes and popping up with a goal. He completed 1,603 of his 1,710 passes. That is an absurd 93% completion rate. Combine that precision with 32 interceptions and 39 successful tackles out of 50 attempts, and you’re looking at a proper defensive shield.
Europe was no different. 13 Champions League games, another goal, an assist, and that same cool 93% passing accuracy over 1,125 minutes. Then he went to the 2026 World Cup and ran the engine room for France all the way to the third-place play-off.
United’s summer spending in the middle of the park has been… lively. They spent £50 million on Andrey Santos. They triggered Youri Tielemans’ £35 million clause at Aston Villa. But after a £38 million swoop for Atalanta’s Ederson fell through at the final hurdle, that genuine, elite holding role remains wide open. Tchouaméni solves that headache instantly.
What to actually make of this
Mitten isn’t a headline-chaser. He doesn’t do clickbait. When he reports something like this, you listen because he actually talks to the people holding the keys. The fact that a senior Madrid figure flagged a sale right after a contract signature tells you the inner workings at the Bernabéu are far messier than their press releases suggest. If Rodri pack his bags for Spain, this deal will move at lightning speed.
Read: Manchester United still keep pushing for £60m Newcastle United player
Getting a midfielder of this calibre for £68 million would be absolute daylight robbery. Whether INEOS actually want to stomach those wage demands is another matter entirely.