Liverpool set to move on from £68m midfield target now

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Liverpool will continue to track Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, even though he isn’t available right now.

The Reds missed out on signing Tchouameni last summer, with the Frenchman opting for a £68m move to Madrid instead. But having failed to kick-on as expected in Spain, there have been rumours that Tchouameni could be back on the market.

With that in mind, Liverpool have once again been named as an interested party. And according to journalist Graeme Bailey, they very much are. However, speaking on 90min’s Talking Transfers podcast, Bailey suggested that this interest is unlikely to materialise into a move.

“This isn’t a case of Tchouameni being available, it’s just Liverpool in a position of ‘if you don’t ask, you don’t get,’ said the journalist. “It’s a player who Liverpool love, they almost got him before Real came in.

“I think Liverpool are making it known to Real and the player himself, ‘if you want to come to England, we’re here, we still like you, we still rate you.’ Real don’t want to let him go, they understand what a talent they’ve got.

“It’s a player they [Liverpool] tried to sign. They spent a lot of time with him last summer and came very close, it’s a player they love. If you don’t ask you don’t get, so they don’t want to spend all this money and then find out they could have got Tchouameni. So, they’re just making sure that that avenue is not open to them and they will move on. But I think it’s a player they will keep tracking for years to come.”

Tchouameni misses Liverpool chance

Tchouameni’s plight in Spain is frustrating to watch from a Liverpool point of view. Had the Reds secured him last year, maybe they wouldn’t have gone on to have the season that they eventually have. With his energy and steel added to the midfield, perhaps they’d be in a better position than they are.

Obviously, that’s something that we’ll never know. And judging by the slightly awkward time he’s had at Madrid so far, maybe he wouldn’t have been the fix Liverpool hoped he might be.

Still, it sounds like the Reds haven’t lost any of their enthusiasm to bring the 23-year-old to Anfield. If Madrid manage to pull off their swoop for Jude Bellingham, maybe there is still a window of opportunity.

However, it seems likely that the European champions will give Tchouameni a little more time to prove himself. Fail to kick on though, and maybe Liverpool will have better luck with their enquiry in a year’s time.

Personally, we hope that they don’t. That would mean that Jurgen Klopp has once again failed to strengthen the midfield appropriately. Liverpool need to box everything off this summer.

As a result, we don’t think that Tchouameni will ever end up at Anfield. He had his opportunity and quite frankly, he blew it. You wouldn’t bet against him still making the grade at the Bernabeu. But if the Frenchman fails to catch light, then he probably isn’t good enough for Liverpool, either.