Massive transfer blow for Man Utd in race to sign ‘world-class’ midfielder

Tchouameni new contract leaves Man Utd scrambling in the transfer market

Tchouameni new contract: Aurélien Tchouaméni has signed a new contract with Real Madrid. It completely kills off Manchester United’s hopes of bringing the France international to Old Trafford this summer. First reported by RMC Sport and later confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, the fresh deal runs until June 2031. That is a massive five-year extension on his previous contract, which was set to expire in 2028. According to Ben Jacobs, the 26-year-old will pocket €13 million per year now, making him one of the top earners at the Bernabéu.

United had watched Tchouaméni all summer. The Mirror reported he was their absolute priority in midfield. Sources told ESPN that United were ready to bid over €100 million. Massive money, especially for a club trying to spread its budget across other targets like Alex Scott, Carlos Baleba, Felix Nmecha, and Sander Berge.

How a conversation with Mourinho ended United’s hope of landing their top midfield target

A single phone call changed everything. ESPN sources say José Mourinho spoke directly to Tchouaméni. Mourinho took the Real Madrid job just a month ago and wasted no time telling the midfielder he is vital for the 2026-27 season. He wants him sitting right alongside Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde. That was that. (Via The Mirror)

Diario AS notes the Madrid board did briefly wonder if selling him could fund a move for Enzo Fernández, but Mourinho’s intervention stopped the chatter. The manager wanted his man. It puts to bed any lingering awkwardness from May, too, when Tchouaméni and Valverde reportedly had a training ground bust-up. Madrid backed their man publicly back then, and they just did it again with a pen.

The timing is awful for United. News of the extension filtered out just hours after the Red Devils finalised a £50 million deal with Chelsea for Andrey Santos. The Brazilian had his medical on Thursday. Santos is a tidy player, but he is not the world-class anchor United desperately need to transform their midfield. Michael Carrick has other names on his radar, like Berge and Baleba, but neither moves the needle the way the Frenchman does.

Then there is Ederson. The Brazilian keeper will undergo his own United medical once Brazil finish their World Cup campaign. Whether buying Santos means United would have dropped out of the Tchouaméni race anyway is anyone’s guess.

Read: Man Utd preparing £30m offer to sign 18-year-old attacker

Madrid know they have a gem. Tchouaméni played 49 times last season, racking up 3,940 minutes, two goals, and one assist. He started all 33 of his La Liga appearances, averaging a 7.37 FotMob rating and giving away a mere 1.06 fouls per 90 minutes. Clean. Elite. He cost €85 million from Monaco in 2022 and has already won the Champions League, two UEFA Super Cups, the Copa del Rey, and a Supercopa. This new contract locks down a crucial pillar for the new Mourinho era.