Liverpool journalist explains how Mbappe deal could help Klopp sign star that the Reds ‘would like’
Liverpool will be hoping that Real Madrid make a serious move for Kylian Mbappe this summer if they have a chance of signing Aurelien Tchouameni, according to journalist Neil Jones.
The Reds were understood to be in the race to sign the France international before he eventually decided to join Real Madrid from Monaco in 2022.
There have been some rumours that Tchouameni isn’t satisfied with his game time at the La Liga giants with the 23-year-old starting 24 of their 38 league matches last term.
Rumours have again appeared linking Liverpool with a move for Tchouameni and former Goal and Liverpool Echo journalist Jones explains the circumstances that could possibly lead to an unlikely deal.
Jones wrote in his Caught Offside column: “I think another dream midfield signing could’ve been Aurelien Tchouameni. It was twelve months ago that Liverpool worked really hard on trying to get Tchouameni from Monaco. He was identified as the priority to come in and play alongside Fabinho to begin with, and then eventually succeed him.
“I think Liverpool felt they had a good chance of persuading the player to join, but then Real Madrid came in and once they were there and ready to make the move, Liverpool lost out.
“I think that was a real disappointment for Liverpool in terms of their planning. They put all their eggs into that basket really, and if you look at what happened last season, and how the last twelve months have played out, they didn’t sign anyone else in that ilk and they did end up being a bit short of quality in terms of reliable midfield players, and it came back to haunt them with a below-par campaign overall.
“The question now, in terms of Liverpool ever being able to revive this deal, is would Real Madrid be willing to let him go? There’s been some speculation after he played perhaps a bit less than he would’ve liked in the second half of last season, but you can see with signings like Tchouameni, as well as Eduardo Camavinga and Jude Bellingham, that Real Madrid are really assembling a good young core of players.
“Along with the likes of Vinicius and Rodrygo up front, you can see what Madrid clearly hope will be their next big team, and I think Tchouameni is going to be a big part of that. I would personally be very surprised to see them giving up already on a player they pushed so hard and paid so much money for.
“I’m sure Liverpool would like to have that chance to revive their interest, but I can’t see Real giving them the chance to do so – unless they really decide to go strongly for Kylian Mbappe this summer and they need to free up some funds, but that doesn’t currently look like being the case.”
It seems likely that Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo will end up at Chelsea this summer with the Seagulls holding out for £100m for the Ecuador international – but Jones insists that he would be his “ideal target” for Liverpool.
Jones added: “My ideal target, even if it’s not realistic, would probably be Moises Caicedo. I like Lavia, and think he could grow into a quality first-team player, but Caicedo is a more established player and would be my dream signing in that position.
“For me, he just ticks every box that you’d want from a Liverpool player to change this team going forward. He’s Premier League-proven, he’s energetic, he’s strong, he can pass, he can run, he’s shown he can fill in at right-back which could work well in a team with a roaming right-back like Trent Alexander-Arnold. Sadly, it doesn’t feel like it’s going to be possible this summer.”
