Aurelien Tchouameni woke up in Paris after a Nations League game, found his phone buzzing, and learned from his father that he was on the front page of the Spanish daily Marca. His reaction, as he later told L’Equipe, was a shrug. “I told him it was cool, but what does it actually matter? It doesn’t.”
His Monaco teammates found it funnier. When the midfielder was linked with Manchester United, they put the Marca cover up in the dressing room and teased him: “Oh, you’re leaving us already?”
Old Trafford rumours return
The links with United go back to the previous summer. They came back in April 2022, when Erik ten Hag was reported to be on the verge of becoming the club’s new manager. Ten Hag had verbally agreed to take the job, and ESPN claimed the Dutchman was keen to sign Tchouameni and admired his versatility.
The same report said Monaco would negotiate and wanted between £50 million and £60 million for the player. Chelsea and Real Madrid had also shown interest.
The player stays calm
Tchouameni kept his distance from all of it. “They talk about me today but tomorrow, they’ll be talking about another,” he told L’Equipe in November. “It’s flattering, but I don’t wake up in the morning thinking about it.”
He told Monaco’s official website he was “very happy” at the club. He called it a very big French club “with a wonderful history” and said he had not hesitated for a second when it showed interest while he was at Bordeaux. He pointed to the training facilities and the club’s focus on young players as reasons.
His own aim is plain enough. “I aspire to be one of the best players in Europe in my position,” he said, and he works at it daily, including extra gym sessions at home under the supervision of the club’s staff. He had just come out of a core training session with the club’s physical trainer when he spoke. He credited that routine for getting through matches without physical problems.
