wicked.football

Chelsea are currently in “pole” position to sign Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco despite enquiries from two fellow Premier League sides, according to a report.

Tchouameni is one of the most in-demand prospects in Europe after his rise to prominence with Monaco. The former Bordeaux midfielder made 42 appearances in his first full season with Monaco in 2020-21. This term, he has continued in his regular role.

In the process, he has also become a full France international. The sky seems to be the limit for a player impressing in all aspects of his game.

As a result, several clubs have been keeping an eye on him. Chelsea have regularly been mentioned as prime suitors. The Blues are looking to evolve their midfield for the long-term.

Tchouameni is someone they do not want to miss out on, but they face competition from several other sides. A prime rival seems to be Juventus, for whom midfield has been an issue for a number of years.

Covering their own pursuit of the player, though, Tutto Juve claim Chelsea are the leading contenders as things stand.

The report reveals that Liverpool, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Juventus have all asked Monaco for information about Tchouameni’s price tag. After learning that a transfer may cost more than €50m, though, they have been “frightened”.

Chelsea, though, seem unperturbed. In fact, they would be willing to go up to €60m with their own offer for the 21-year-old.

Therefore, they are leading the race to sign Tchouameni at present.

If they can complete the transfer, he would complement the likes of N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic in Chelsea’s midfield. There have even been a few more opportunities for Ruben Loftus-Cheek recently.

Chelsea midfield evolution continues

One man who remains on the fringes, though, is loanee Saul Niguez. The Atletico Madrid man has struggled to make an impact so far at Stamford Bridge.

It already seems like Saul will not be staying at Chelsea beyond this season. In fact, he could even leave prematurely in January.

Coincidentally, Juventus themselves have been tipped to take Saul if his loan is terminated. He will be unable to return to Atletico due to the La Liga salary cap, so is on the lookout for the next step.

But a recent report revealed there is fresh competition for Saul from Barcelona back in La Liga.

Their new boss Xavi is apparently an admirer of the player who features in the position he once roamed himself. If they can accommodate him – and convince Atletico to lend him to them – he could be their next reinforcement after the return of Dani Alves.

One place Saul’s long-term future seems destined not to be, though, is at Stamford Bridge – potentially making room for Chelsea to sign Tchouameni.

READ MORE: Granovskaia ready to give Chelsea green light to sign Hazard alternative

The post Chelsea raise stakes in competitive midfield transfer battle as rivals including Prem pair get ‘frightened’ appeared first on TEAMtalk.