Before the summer transfer window opened, Michael Carrick had made his plans clear to the Manchester United hierarchy.
With Casemiro departing and Manuel Ugarte no longer in his plans, the head coach wanted to revamp the team’s engine room, and for that, he needed three new signings.
After being priced out of moves for Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes, the Red Devils managed to bring in Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans in quick succession.
The Brazilian has already impressed in pre-season, while the Belgian is coming off a brilliant World Cup. However, United still need an out-and-out defensive midfielder.
Aurelien Tchouameni is United’s dream midfield signing
Links with Manu Kone persist, but The Peoples Person has already relayed that the only reason behind United’s delay in signing that elusive third midfielder is Aurelien Tchouameni.
Initially, the 20-time English league champions thought their race was run when Real Madrid agreed a contract extension with the Frenchman.
Soon, reports started emerging that Los Blancos were eyeing a move for Rodri, and for that, they needed a substantially large sale.
It could be between Aurelien Tchouameni or his compatriot Eduardo Camavinga, but it is the former AS Monaco ace who would fetch a larger sum.
Real Madrid could be forced to sell Aurelien Tchouameni
The Guardian has reported that INEOS remain keen, but were unsure about Real’s plans for the French World Cup star. They have kept aside around £70 million for the 26-year-old should he become available.
“Manchester City are hopeful that Rodri will sign a new contract, but the club are braced for a bid from Real Madrid for the midfielder as well as moves from other suitors.
“Real may need to generate finance in order to sign Rodri – especially if, as expected, they sign Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig for a fee “well in excess” of €100m (£85m) – which may mean the sale of Aurélien Tchouaméni.
“The 26-year-old Frenchman is thought to have agreed a new contract with the club though this has not been announced. His current deal ends in summer 2028.
United have kept £70m aside for Aurelien Tchouameni
“Manchester United retain an interest in Tchouaméni but earlier in the window were unsure if the fee Real would demand for the midfielder – around £70m – was within their budget.”
After signing that new deal, Aurelien Tchouameni is likely to cost well in excess of £70 million. INEOS might need to sell some players of their own in order to afford the France international.
The likes of Radek Vitek and Joshua Zirkzee are likely to be offloaded, while United remain keen on selling Marcus Rashford as well, going against Carrick in the process.
Feature image Dan Mullan via Getty Images
The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
Ayantan Chowdhury
After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
