Newcastle United have reportedly offered Real Madrid £68.5m (€80m) to sign midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.
That’s according to a recent report from Spanish newspaper Defensa Central, who claims Los Blancos are willing to let Tchouameni leave this summer after he has failed to live up to expectations following his £80m move from Monaco last summer.
Consequently, Eddie Howe, who is desperate to partner Bruno Guimaraes with a world-class midfielder who can help bring out the best in him, is believed to have turned his attention to Madrid and France’s Tchouameni after he came up short in his pursuit of Inter Milan’s Nicolo Barella.
The 22-time France international has anchored the midfield with conviction by averaging 1.9 tackles, 1.5 interceptions, 1.5 clearances, 1.2 shots, 0.7 key passes and 0.8 dribbles per game in La Liga. He has even been accurate when distributing the ball from midfield after completing 93.5% of his attempted passes in the Spanish top-flight (stats via whoscored).
Tchouameni is a skilled ball defender who can time his challenges well in order to win the ball back for his team in the middle of the field. He is a solid passer of the ball and doesn’t mind removing the threat when the opposition tries to threaten his teammates in the back. The French prodigy needs to figure out a method to score more goals, though, if he wants to experience more success at the top level.
However, it is undeniable that a player with Tchouameni’s skill set and winning history would be a dream acquisition for the Magpies to make during this offseason.
Tchouameni will add plenty of bite and steel to Newcastle boss Eddie Howe’s midfield department and help the Tyneside club be competitive in the UEFA Champions League next season. Hence, Howe should consider trying everything in his power to bring the French midfield ace on board soon.
