Why Aurelien Tchouameni rejected Liverpool transfer as Real Madrid 'open to offers'

If reports in Spain are to be believed, Aurelien Tchouameni could become available again soon, which might well be of interest to Liverpool.

According to Relevo, Real Madrid is set to make the 24-year-old available for transfer, with the tide seemingly turning against him at the Bernabeu. It’s claimed that Tchouameni is ‘starting to run out of supporters’ at the club, with the Spanish giant open to offers.

Although he still retains the faith of Carlo Ancelotti, Real’s board - including Florentino Perez - are ‘betting on’ Eduardo Camavinga instead, while Manchester City’s Rodri has been touted as a possible target. If Tchouameni does become available, it will be interesting to see if Liverpool enters the race for his signature.

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Jürgen Klopp was keen on the France international back in 2022 as he looked to strengthen his midfield after losing the Champions League final to Real Madrid. But the La Liga giants would get the better of Liverpool again weeks later by completing a $108m (£85m/€100m) deal.

Tchouaméni later revealed that he did hold talks with the Reds but decided his future lay at the Bernabeu. He told Le Parisien: "The first to come forward was Liverpool, we had discussions. Then Real arrived and it my head everything was clear.

“It’s the biggest club in the world. If you want to accomplish great things, to mark the history of your sport, there is no better. So I didn’t hesitate for a second. I told my agent: as long as there is interest, we do everything to go there."

Transfer speculation resurfaced last summer though when Klopp let Fabinho and Jordan Henderson depart, and set about rejuvenating his midfield. The Athletic reported that Liverpool retained an interest in Tchouaméni but Real had no desire to sell, with the player also eager to stay put.

Liverpool ultimately moved for Wataru Endō as a more realistic alternative, while Ryan Gravenberch has made the No.6 role his own this season. An opportunity to reignite an interest in Tchouameni though could appeal to Liverpool as they look to strengthen the midfield further, with Endo having fallen down the pecking order.

Liverpool.com says: Tchouameni seems to regularly be linked with a move away from Real Madrid. Even after turning down Liverpool two years ago, he has been consistently linked with a move to Anfield ever since.

If he really does become available, he's certainly someone the Reds should at least be looking at. Whether their interest might have changed with Klopp having left now remains to be seen, but if the opportunity's there, it would be hard to pass up the chance to sign Tchouameni.

An original version of this article was first published on May 23.