Tchouameni transfer news: What Mourinho really thinks
Tchouameni transfer news: Manchester United’s pursuit of Aurélien Tchouaméni has run into what looks like a substantial problem. Jose Mourinho, back at Real Madrid for a second stint in the dugout, considers the 26-year-old Frenchman essential to his plans, and right now, that matters enormously. Spanish publication El Debate reported this week that Mourinho views both Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde as untouchable, and that either would only leave if a genuinely higher-priority signing demanded it (source: El Debate via Football365). That is a clear signal, even if it isn’t a categorical door-slamming.
United desperately need midfield reinforcements this summer. Michael Carrick‘s side have already agreed a deal with Atalanta for Ederson Silva, but the manager is pushing INEOS for at least one more central midfielder. The loss of Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham, for a guaranteed £85m, a fee United weren’t prepared to match, stings badly and has forced the club to look elsewhere. Tchouaméni has long been the dream alternative.
Tchouameni transfer news: The financial triple lock keeping United out
The Tchouameni transfer news gets thornier when the numbers come in. Real Madrid value the midfielder at around €100m (£87m), according to reports from TEAMtalk. His wages sit at an estimated €12.5m per year, roughly £205,000 a week, and that salary, as Fabrizio Romano made clear on his YouTube channel, is currently beyond what INEOS will countenance. “The only way to open doors for Tchouaméni to Man Utd after missing out on Mateus Fernandes is to discuss a completely different salary. At the moment, that’s not something that’s happening,” Romano said (source: TEAMtalk).
Three obstacles, then. Fee. Wages. The manager’s desire to keep him. It’s a brutal combination for United fans. Ben Jacobs has suggested an offer of around €82m (£70m) might at least prompt Madrid to think seriously, but persuading Mourinho to sanction a sale is a different battle entirely (source: Sports Mole). Fabrizio Romano had previously reported the interest from United in the wake of the now-notorious training-ground incident between Tchouaméni and Valverde, but interest and affordability are very different things.
His 2025-26 numbers explain why everyone wants him
Tchouaméni’s season at Madrid explains precisely why both clubs are so reluctant to see him go. Across 33 La Liga appearances, totalling 2,624 minutes, he scored one goal, accumulated eight yellow cards and averaged a Flashscore rating of 7.4 for the entire campaign (source: Flashscore). In the Champions League, Real Madrid’s own data shows he led the squad for successful passes in both competitions, completing 1,426 in La Liga at an accuracy rate of 91.41% and 600 in the Champions League at 92% (source: realmadrid.com).
He won the MVP award twice in Europe’s elite club competition. Currently representing France at the 2026 World Cup, Les Bleus are among the tournament favourites. He registered an assist and an 8.7 FotMob rating in France’s 4-1 victory over Norway on 26 June.
At 26, with his contract running until June 2028 and a market value of around €71.5m per Transfermarkt, the Frenchman is in his absolute prime. Madrid, Romano has confirmed, are in fact exploring exits this summer, given the sheer size of their squad after signing Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konaté, Marc Cucurella and Bernardo Silva, but Tchouaméni isn’t necessarily first in line to leave.
Read: Here is the biggest obstacle for Manchester United in the race to sign £100m
United’s alternatives, Carlos Baleba and Alex Scott, have all been mentioned, reflecting just how narrow the path to the Frenchman has become. Journalist Ben Jacobs maintains that United remain the best-placed club to sign him should Madrid open the door, and the Tchouameni transfer news may yet shift once the World Cup concludes.
