Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Jurgen Klopp was convinced that Aurelien Tchouameni would’ve been perfect for Liverpool.
Tchouameni signed for Real Madrid for a fee believed to be in the region of 100 million euros with add-ons back in June, after having been heavily linked with a move to Anfield.
The 22-year-old burst onto the scene in Ligue 1 last season for Monaco, making 50 appearances and scoring five times across all competitions.
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The French international impressed with his passing ability, ball carrying and defensive output, which led to interest from several top European clubs.
According to Romano, Klopp called Tchouameni on numerous occasions as he tried to convince the player to make the switch to the North West of England.
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Speaking on his YouTube channel, the transfer guru said: “Liverpool only go for a player when they are 100% convinced it’s the right player for the project and the club.
“Who was the player? Jude Bellingham a lot of you said, but it was not Jude Bellingham, they asked about Jude Bellingham but it was not a negotiation.
“Liverpool really wanted Aurelien Tchouameni, they tried to enter that race until the end."
"Jurgen Klopp did his best for a deal, he called the player many times, he explained the project and the plan in midfield, but Tchouameni had an agreement with Real Madrid."
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“Klopp really wanted him, he was convinced that Tchouameni was the perfect player for the Liverpool midfield for their project, but sometimes players have different plans and that was the case for Tchouameni.”
As a result of not landing the French starlet, Liverpool appeared to dwell on the midfield signing, being linked with Bellingham and Matheus Nunes, but eventually signing neither of them.
With Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all sustaining injuries in pre-season or at the start of the new campaign, Klopp eventually moved for Arthur Melo from Juventus on a season-long loan- most likely a stop-gap signing before they move for a long-term target next summer.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool, Liverpool Transfer News & Rumours, Jurgen Klopp