Real Madrid Open to Tchouameni Sale as Manchester United Eye Move

Real Madrid are prepared to cash in on Aurelien Tchouameni this summer, with Manchester United ready to pounce, even as new coach Jose Mourinho pushes to keep the French midfielder at the Bernabeu, according to the Sun.

For four seasons, Tchouameni has been at the heart of Madrid’s midfield, a key pillar in a side that has lifted both the Champions League and La Liga during his time in Spain. He arrived as the heir to Casemiro and, for a while, played like it: dominant in duels, crisp in possession, and seemingly immovable from the starting XI.

That status has eroded.

A clash with teammate Federico Valverde last season has reportedly chipped away at his “untouchable” label inside the club. Now, with Madrid eyeing an audacious move for Manchester City’s Rodri, the board are weighing up a sale that would have been unthinkable not long ago.

Mourinho, newly installed and keen to build around a proven core, had planned to keep Tchouameni. Those plans are being rewritten. The chance to go after Rodri has shifted the internal debate, and the financial reality is clear: someone big has to make way.

United sense the opening.

The Premier League side, deep into a midfield rebuild, are understood to be serious about bringing Tchouameni to Old Trafford. A fee in the region of £68 million – broadly in line with what Madrid paid Monaco in 2022 – is believed to be enough to get Madrid to the table.

If it happens, the transfer would complete a neat circle.

Madrid signed Tchouameni as Casemiro’s replacement when the Brazilian left for United. Now United, having moved on from Casemiro themselves, are trying to lure the Frenchman to Manchester to fill the very void he once stepped into in Spain.

United’s Midfield Reset

United have already been busy.

Youri Tielemans has arrived for £35 million, finally giving the club a deeper-lying passer to complement Bruno Fernandes, whose creativity has often been isolated higher up the pitch. The Belgian’s range and composure address a problem that has lingered for years.

Andrey Santos has joined for £50 million, a dynamic, defensively-minded presence who can grow alongside Kobbie Mainoo. The vision is clear: in time, Santos and Mainoo forming a double pivot, with energy, bite, and the legs to cover the pitch.

Tchouameni would change the level of that project.

Drop him in behind Tielemans and Fernandes and the structure suddenly looks far more robust. He offers the defensive platform United have lacked since Casemiro’s peak faded – shielding the back four, winning second balls, and allowing the more creative players to push higher and stay there.

At Old Trafford, that kind of anchor is not a luxury. It’s the foundation.

Madrid’s willingness to sell, even against Mourinho’s wishes, turns what once looked like fantasy into a genuine possibility. Now the question is simple: will United push hard enough, and will Madrid really sacrifice a proven Champions League midfielder to chase Rodri?