Chelsea are looking to sign a top class central midfielder in the upcoming summer transfer window. Aurelien Tchouameni of AS Monaco and France is someone who has been looked at by the Blues for some time now, but the club are set to face fierce competition for the midfielder's signature.
football.london reported in January that Chelsea have spent more time keeping an eye on the 22-year-old than any other club. The Monaco star has just over two years remaining on his contract at Stade Louis II and is being strongly linked with an exit in the summer.
Real Madrid, though, are also thought to be interested in Tchouameni, with Los Blancos looking to build for the future with their main three midfielders - Luka Modric (36), Toni Kroos (32) and Casemiro (30) - all over the age of 30. According to a fresh report from Spanish publication AS, Real Madrid have now 'decided to go after' Tchouameni and negotiations between the club and Monaco have seen 'advances in recent weeks'.
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The talented France international will not be cheap, though, despite there being just over two years left on his contract. According to a report from Marca, via the Daily Mail, earlier this year, Monaco are demanding £83million for their prized asset.
Chelsea currently have N'Golo Kante and Jorginho, who are 31 and 30 respectively, whose futures at the club are uncertain. The Blues duo both see their contracts at Stamford Bridge expire at the end of next season and could look to move away from west London in the upcoming summer transfer window.
So, it's no shock that Tchouameni is being watched by Chelsea, as well as West Ham United and England star Declan Rice. Both are set to command big-money bids, but Tchouameni looks like the cheaper option for Chelsea right now.
The Frenchman has been impressing in Ligue 1 for a while now, and former Monaco boss Niko Kovac even described him as the best midfielder in France at the moment. Speaking last month, via talkSPORT, Kovac said: "He's a player who has made great progress.
"He listens a lot to what is said to him and wants to learn and improve with each training session. He's a very humble person.
"He uses each video session to learn more every day, to find out what was good and what was not good. Today he's a France international but I think he needs to keep it as it is - simple.
"Everyone shines the spotlight on him but I think he has to keep it simple, so as not to get lost and do more than what is asked of him. For me, he is already the best midfielder in Ligue 1 today."
