Man Utd officials ‘travel to Spain’ in order to wrap up £69m transfer for Arsenal target

Joe Williams
Liverpool want Tchouameni

Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni is back on Erik ten Hag’s wishlist at Man Utd as the summer transfer window ramps up, according to reports.

The Red Devils are apparently looking to add another midfielder to their squad this summer despite the imminent arrival of Mason Mount from Chelsea.

There are rumours that both Fred and Scott McTominay could leave the club this summer with the two midfielders dropping down the pecking order at Man Utd last term.

Tchouameni, who was linked to Man Utd before he ended up at Real Madrid, is back on their radar with Spanish publication Nacional claiming that the France international ‘will leave’ this summer.

After only 12 months at the Bernabeu, Tchouameni ‘aims to pack his bags’ after Man Utd have shown ‘a special willingness to welcome him into their ranks’.

Ten Hag thinks he’d be ‘an ideal candidate’ to slip into his midfield and the Man Utd boss has now ‘ordered various members of the board of directors to travel to the capital of Spain’.

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It ‘involves meeting with Florentino Perez and other representatives of Madrid’  with the president of the La Liga club not willing to ‘settle for less than €80m (£69m)’.

Perez is adamant that if Man Utd don’t pay that fee then Tchouameni ‘will have to continue’ under Carlo Ancelotti and miss his opportunity to move to Old Trafford.

Ten Hag wants to play Tchouameni –  who has also been linked with Arsenal – alongside Casemiro and ‘bring the two together’ with the Dutchman believing ‘that they are totally compatible’.

Former Man Utd striker Louis Saha thinks Fred, who could make way this summer, would excel at a club like Fulham with the Cottagers linked with a move.

Saha told Betfred: “He’s a very committed player and I’d never say a bad word about him. You can tell that he trains really hard and is a very loyal player, but ultimately the decision is up to him.

“It would be understandable if he wants to play more minutes and at a good club like Fulham, he’s going to get more game time.

“It would be a good move for him, but I believe that he still has a future at Manchester United if he wants one, because the season’s going to be long and you never know what’s going to happen in terms of injuries or form. He should look to leave the club if he’s not in Erik ten Hag’s plans at all for next season.”

There are other areas of the team Ten Hag is looking to improve too and Saha has controversially recommended a move for former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane from Bayern Munich.

Saha added: It’s a tough one to imagine, but you never know what’s going to happen in football. I’m sure Sadio still has loads of respect for Liverpool but at the same time, you only have one career.

“He will still want to compete for trophies and he’s been unlucky during his time in Germany where there’s been incidents where his talent has been overshadowed.

“I don’t want to push somebody towards a transfer, but if there was actually a chance for Mané to move to Manchester United, then he may consider the chance of joining them as he can provide them with guaranteed goals and assists, which is something that they need.”