Strange as it may feel, Madridistas may well have Kylian Mbappe to thank for their signing of Aurelien Tchouameni. The French midfield star was officially confirmed as Real Madrid’s player for the next six seasons on Saturday and Marca have detailed how it took almost the entirety of the past season to get there.
Real Madrid initiated contact with Tchouameni last September and after a period of observation, had decided he was the right midfielder for La Casa Blanca by January. Quite apart from his talent and potential, Real Madrid appreciated his commitment and professionalism.
Chief of Scouting Juni Calafat went to Monaco in April in order to speak with the player, at which point it seemed a certainty that he would end up as a Real Madrid player.
With the Kylian Mbappe saga still not resolved however, Real Madrid put a hold on the deal until they had clarity over their finances. They had then asked Tchouameni to wait for a year at Monaco, at which point they would return for him.
Tchouameni was understandably not thrilled at this idea and Liverpool entered the fray, with Jurgen Klopp on the verge of convincing him to move to the Premier League.
Once Kylian Mbappe decided to remain at Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid came back onto the scene in a hurry. They had managed to convince Tchouameni to come to Madrid but Los Blancos had to fight off a late advance from PSG.
Eventually, as with Mbappe, it was a case of waiting for Tchouameni’s decision with everything agreed in terms of contracts and fees. This time however, Real Madrid came out on top of the Parisians.
