Man United Linked With Tchouameni Swoop

The Premier League midfield merry-go-round has so far seen the likes of Elliot Anderson, Morgan Rogers and Sandro Tonali all move clubs for sizable fees this summer.

Another side that have spent heavily is Manchester United, who have already added Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans to their engine room.

And reports are now linking the Red Devils with an ambitious move for Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni, as Michael Carrick looks to add a specialist defensive midfielder to a side that has plenty of running power but is perhaps lacking in physicality.

26-year-old Tchouameni featured four times in France’s run to the World Cup semi-finals and had verbally agreed terms on a contract extension at the Bernabeu, but new Real boss Jose Mourinho is keen to refresh his squad and needs to raise funds before any significant incomings.

Mourinho’s top target is Manchester City’s Rodri, who despite nursing a back injury all summer, was crowned the best player at the World Cup as he captained Spain to glory with an extra-time win over Argentina last weekend.

The price tag on the 29-year-old is around the £85 million mark, and with Tchouameni coming into his prime years - and also occupying Rodri’s potential midfield slot at Madrid - he is now the prime candidate to move on to fund a Rodri raid.

Los Blancos have already spent £45 million to secure the services of Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella, while Denzel Dumfries arrived earlier in the summer from Inter Milan.

Their defensive rebuild has also seen Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate join on a free transfer.

United, meanwhile,  have also been linked with moves for Roma’s Manu Kone - a France team mate of Tchouameni - as well as Brighton’s Carlos Baleba, whose value has dipped after an inconsistent season on the south coast.