Fabrizio Romano shares what Real Madrid are now planning on doing with Aurelien Tchouameni

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Aurelien Tchouameni won’t be joining Liverpool this summer, as Real Madrid insist he isn’t for sale.

Tchouameni was the Reds top midfield target 12 months ago, but he decided on a move to Spain instead. But after a difficult first year and the arrival of Jude Bellingham in Madrid, the Frenchman has once again been linked with Liverpool.

However, speaking on his YouTube channel last night, journalist Fabrizio Romano has ruled out any chance of Tchouameni leaving Santiago Bernabeu right now.

“About Aurelien Tchouameni, his name is rumoured for Premier League clubs – no,” said the journalist.

“At the moment the intention is for Tchouameni to stay at Real Madrid. They want him to stay, he’s a crucial player for the project and for the future of the club. So, nothing has changed around Tchouameni.”

Tchouameni ruled out… for now

This isn’t totally unepxected news by any stretch of the imagination. It had always seemed a real long-shot that Madrid would give up on Tchouameni so soon after signing him.

As things stand, there’s no reason for them to let him go, despite Bellingham’s signing.

Having said that, things could perhaps still take a twist over in the Spanish capital. There remains a possibility that they may try and sign PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe this summer.

Should they pay the enormous fee needed to get him out of Paris, they’ll surely need to balance the books a little.

Perhaps it isn’t beyond Madrid to pay for both Bellingham and Mbappe in one summer without having to sell anyone at all. But it would feel unlikely.

Of course, Mbappe moving in could help Tchouameni to stay. The two are teammates in the France national team after all. However, with a stacked midfield and a disappointing debut season, maybe the former Monaco man would be seen as one of those deemed dispensible.

If that should come to pass, he wouldn’t be short of suitors and Liverpool should be at the front of the queue. Having tried hard to sign him last year, they’ve already done a lot of the groundwork. For now, that will remain a moot point, but things could still change.