Newcastle United have reportedly made a hefty opening offer for Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, as Eddie Howe looks to bolster his midfield.
The Magpies are expected to bring in several new faces as they prepare for Champions League football. And, signing the Los Blancos star would be a real statement of intent.
Chelsea and Liverpool have also registered an interest in Tchouameni. So, it will be interesting to see if they respond with their own offer.
Newcastle enjoyed a simply fantastic 2022/23 campaign. Under the guidance of Howe, they finished in fourth place, their best season since 2003.
Now, the manager is expected to be rewarded with a generous transfer kitty by the club’s ownerhsip. But, he will have to spend the money wisely this summer.
Interestingly, midfield seems to be his key area of focus at the moment. For instance, they recently joined the race for another Liverpool target — Khephren Thuram.
Nice want approximately £55m for the 22-year-old. However, Newcastle are only willing to pay £50m. So, it will be interesting to see how that story develops.
But, the Magpies now have a different and arguably more exciting midfield target on their radar.
According to Spanish outlet Defensa Central, Newcastle have tabled an €80m (approx. £68.4m) offer for Tchouameni.
The France international signed for Real Madrid last summer. However, he has struggled to live up to expectations at the Bernabeu.
In 2022/23, he made 33 LaLiga appearances, with many of these seeing him come off the bench.
Also, with the arrival of Jude Bellingham, the midfielder is expected to fall down Carlo Ancelotti’s pecking order even further.
Therefore, Tchouameni could be open to leaving Real Madrid this summer. Equally, the Spanish giants are willing to let him leave, for the right price.
But, Newcastle aren’t the only Premier League club to submit an offer for Tchouameni.
Indeed, as per a seperate report from Defensa Central, Chelsea have also submitted a bid worth €60m (approx. £51.3m) for the Real Madrid star.
So, it will be interesting to see if the Blues respond with a second offer to try and beat Newcastle to his signature.
As previously reported by Football365, Madrid president Florentino Perez has suggested in the past that he could be willing to accept an offer of €80m for Tchouameni.
So, as it stands, the Magpies have a genuine chance of bringing in the 23-year-old this summer.
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