Chelsea have been handed a late boost in the race to sign Aurelien Tchouameni ahead of the upcoming transfer window. The 22-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge this season, though the UK Government's decision to sanction Roman Abramovich led to the club having to operate under a special sporting licence which, among other things, restricted their activities in the transfer market.
The Monaco midfielder has decided to sign a five-year contract with Real Madrid in a deal worth £69million plus bonuses, according to French outlet RMC. Carlo Ancelotti's side have reacted quickly after Kylian Mbappe opted against pursuing a dream move to commit his future to Paris Saint-Germain.
But, while Tchouameni may already have a foot in the door at the Santiago Bernabeu, Goal report that there is currently no agreement between the Spanish giants and the France international. And, as a result, Chelsea have a window of opportunity to snatch the midfielder from under Real Madrid's nose.
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Tchouameni featured 50 times for Monaco this season, directly contributing towards eight goals from the heart of midfield. The Frenchman's impressive displays steered his side to within touching distance of Champions League qualification, though they fell at the final hurdle on the last day of the Ligue 1 season.
football.london understand that Chelsea have spent more time watching Tchouameni than any other club, following strong interest at the start of the season. Thomas Tuchel's side opted against signing the youngster in the summer because the club felt as if he could have done with another 12 months of development, as per The Athletic.
And, now, the west Londoners have been told by Monaco chief Paul Mitchell of the criteria that the club must fulfil in order to sign Tchouameni. The French outfit's transfer guru outlined that the club will demand a 'fair compensation' for 'such an incredibly gifted player'. Speaking to RMC Sport, the transfer chief said: "I don't have a preference to be honest. As always when you sell a player, there needs to be fair compensation.
"The market is different every year. Everyone was able to realize what a top player Aurelien is, but everyone also knows that we are an ambitious club with an ambitious shareholder, so no, I have no preference when it comes to selling him. We will have to be very aggressive in terms of supply for us to lose such an incredibly gifted player."
However, should the Blues look to seal a deal for Tchouameni, the club must first wait for the takeover to be completed. Tuchel, who is keen for a summer rebuild, must likely also solve the futures of N'Golo Kante and Jorginho, who each see their deals in west London expire next year.
Speaking to football.london, the Chelsea boss outlined his intentions at the club in the coming weeks. He said: "We are rebuilding, not improving the squad. We are rebuilding. This is always challenging, but we are up for the challenge.
"I don't know where we are from day one. What I can promise is that I will be here – if I can promise that – I will be here with full energy and positive energy no matter what. We will still work for Chelsea, and I refuse to think of negative scenarios. We will be competitive, on which level we will see.
"On how the delay and sanctions will affect us, there is a risk. It will be very challenging to make up for the disadvantage, given the situation of the other two teams: City and Liverpool, who are already improving the squad and set one benchmark after the other in all aspects of the game."
