OFFICIAL NOW: Man United agreed personal terms with £76m box to box south American Midfielder – as Michael Carrick set to welcome His first signing next month
The Red Devils are poised to reinforce the defensive midfield department this summer. The club have already confirmed that Casemiro will depart when his contract expires on June 30.
There is a possibility that Manuel Ugarte could be shown the exit door, too. The Uruguayan has played second fiddle to Casemiro this term, and United are open to cutting their losses on him.
Amidst this, Sport claim that the Red Devils are ‘interested in signing’ Tchouameni. They recruited Casemiro from Madrid four years ago and plan to repeat the feat with the Frenchman.
However, the operation is ‘far from easy’ to complete, given that Tchouameni is an integral part of Los Blancos’ starting plans. The La Liga giants would be reluctant to part ways with him.
Tchouameni story could be agent-driven
The 26-year-old has been a mainstay in the heart of Madrid’s midfield since his initial £68 million move from AS Monaco in the summer of 2022.
He has made 29 appearances in the current La Liga season, with a passing accuracy of 92 percent.
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Tchouameni has won an impressive 69 percent of his duels with four recoveries, two tackles and two clearances per outing. He has lost possession six times per game.
His statistics are among the best in the world for the number six role. United legend Rio Ferdinand recently described him as ‘majestic‘, given his superb progress at Madrid.
Tchouameni would be an instant upgrade to replace Casemiro, but the big question is whether the player is pushing for a summer move or if the speculation is agent-driven.
The World Cup finalist has another two years remaining on his contract, and his representative could be using United’s interest to secure an improved deal at Los Blancos.
Keeping that in mind, his compatriot Eduardo Camavinga could emerge as a more realistic target for United, given he has been a regular on the bench in recent months.
The former Rennes ace has averaged less than 60 minutes per league game during his time at Madrid, and he has often been played out of position due to Tchouameni’s presence.
Camavinga may want to establish himself as an out-and-out holding midfielder. That seems unlikely to happen at Madrid, who are eyeing another marquee addition in the position this summer.
Hence, United could capitalise on the uncertainty to land his signature from Madrid instead. At 23, Camavinga is just entering the prime of his career and has a much higher ceiling.
Madrid signed him for around £34m from Rennes five years ago. A package in the region of £50m could be sufficient to prise the Frenchman away from the La Liga heavyweights.
