Liverpool are reportedly looking into the possibility of bringing Aurelien Tchouameni to Anfield this summer.
According to The Times via Liverpool Echo, The Reds ‘like’ the Monaco midfielder but are aware of interest from Real Madrid.
Should Madrid beat them to Tchouameni, Liverpool will reportedly look to bring in a midfielder of a similar profile.
With that in mind, here’s three players Liverpool could look to sign instead of the French international.
Matheus Nunes
Tchouameni is a tall and powerful midfielder just as comfortable in the defensive phase of play as he is when joining the attack.
Another player who is happy doing both is Sporting’s Matheus Nunes. The 23-year-old has taken some time to settle in at the Lisbon club, but has now become a key man in their midfield.
Standing at six feet tall, he’s lightly shorter than the 6ft 2in Tchouameni. Nunes is excellent at making driving forward runs from midfield and can work neatly in tight spaces too.
His performances this season have certainly drawn some praise from high places. After facing Nunes in the Champions League this season, Pep Guardiola called him ‘one of the best players in the world’ via Tribal Football.
That may be slightly hyperbolic from Pep, but the sentiment shows just how highly the Portugal international is rated. According to A Bola earlier this month, Nunes will reject interest from both Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers in favour of a team that ‘fights for titles’ this summer.
Davide Frattesi
Another player who could be on The Reds radar is Sassuolo midfielder Davide Frattesi. The 22-year-old has had a breakthrough year in Serie A after three seasons out on-loan in the second division.
Four goals and two assists for Sassuolo have seen him on the verge of a call-up for the Italian national team.
Another six footer, Frattesi is a tall-ish midfielder who is adept in the tackle and capable of dominating in aerial challenges.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, via Empire of the Kop, Frattesi is a similar player to one-time Liverpool target Nicolo Barella.
The Italian looks set for a big future, it could be worth Liverpool keeping an eye on him.
Kouadio Kone
French midfielder Kouadio Kone was hot property last year. After breaking into Toulouse’s first-team as an 18-year-old, Kone starred in Ligue 2 during 2020/21.
There looked set to be a tussle for his signature that summer. That was until Borussia Monchengladbach stole a march on the competition by completing a deal for him in January 2021.
Kone stayed on-loan at Toulouse before joining up with Gladbach this season. Since then he has become a regular starter in the Bundesliga.
The 20-year-old has started 25 of Gladbach’s 31 league games this season, scoring twice.
His tough tackling and incisive passing make him a real standout. At 6ft 1in, he’s physically imposing and looks ready to go right to the top of the game.
If Liverpool can’t get a deal over the line for Tchouameni, Kone could well be the next best thing.