Real Madrid’s new signing Aurelien Tchouameni has revealed that Kylian Mbappe tried to convince him to join Paris Saint-Germain.
Speaking at his unveiling, new Real Madrid star Aurelien Tchouameni has confirmed that he snubbed overtures from Paris Saint-Germain in favour of a move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Following the arrival of Antonio Rudiger on a Bosman deal, Tchouameni became Real Madrid’s second signing of the summer. The 22-year-old midfielder joined Los Blancos from French giants AS Monaco in a deal worth around €100 million, becoming one of the most expensive acquisitions in the club’s history.
Tchouameni has enjoyed a rapid rise in stature over the past couple of seasons in France and had several clubs vying to sign him in the summer. Along with Real Madrid, there was also interest from the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United, while PSG were another club who were intent on the French international.
PSG, having managed to keep hold of Kylian Mbappe, wanted to get another one over Real Madrid by beating them to the signing of Tchouameni. And the midfielder has confirmed as much, stating that the Ligue 1 champions even enlisted the help of their superstar to convince him to move to Parc des Princes over the Santiago Bernabeu.
Kylian Mbappe wanted Aurelien Tchouameni to go to PSG ?? pic.twitter.com/7bYlCP9xzO
— GOAL (@goal) June 14, 2022
As quoted by Goal, Tchouameni said, “Kylian decided to stay at PSG and he already knew I was going to leave Monaco and wanted to know if I could go to PSG, but I told him I wanted Madrid and he understood perfectly.”
The midfielder also admitted to have held talks with Real Madrid stars like Karim Benzema and Eduardo Camavinga, which only strengthened his resolve to move to the Spanish capital outfit.
“I have been lucky enough to speak with [Karim] Benzema and [Eduardo] Camavinga. In the case of Camavinga, we have seen how he has improved in his first year and I am going to be lucky enough to play for the club with the best striker in the world. When the negotiations progressed, he wrote to me and he asked me if he could help me,” Tchouameni said.
“I now want to leave a mark on football and the best club for this is Real Madrid. It’s the best decision for me. I try to be the best on the field. The price of the signing doesn’t interest me at all,” he added.
With Rudiger and Tchouameni arriving, Real Madrid have made a strong start to the summer. But their transfer business is far from being done, with a new forward on Carlo Ancelotti’s agenda.
