Arsenal aim high with battle to sign £50m Man Utd, Liverpool target Tchouameni now a three-way scrap

Arsenal have joined Man Utd and Liverpool in the race to sign Monaco ace Aurelien Tchouameni after a transfer guru provided an eye-catching update.

Tchouameni, 22, is quickly developing a reputation for being an attacker’s worst nightmare. The Monaco and France destroyer has continued to rack up incredible numbers on the defensive end this year.

By mid-April, Tchouameni had already racked up an incredible 159 tackles and interceptions combined this season. For context, Fred and Scott McTominay had 178 between them at that time.

Furthermore, per Football London, Tchouameni has notched 3.38 interceptions and 11.51 recoveries per 90 minutes this year.

Predictably, those impressive figures have seen Tchouameni emerge on the radars of some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

The Times recently claimed Liverpool’s interest in Tchouameni is genuine. Elsewhere, ESPN reported new Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag is interested in bringing the midfielder to Old Trafford.

ESPN noted Monaco are open to his sale this summer and would demand a €60m-€70m transfer fee (roughly £50m-£58m). From the continent, Real Madrid and Juventus have also expressed an interest.

But according to transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio, Arsenal too are now in the mix.

Tchouameni wants Premier League switch

Via Football London, Di Marzio namechecked the Gunners before claiming the player is prioritising a move to England.

Further stoking the transfer fires was his claim he thinks Tchouameni will move this summer.

“Juventus value him,” Di Marzio told the German press (via Football London). “They’ve wanted him a lot in the past but there’s no deal on the table now. You would still like him very much.

“A lot of clubs in the Premier League are following him. Arsenal, Manchester United to name just two. He would like to play in the Premier League.

“He has stayed at Monaco for another year to await a chance to play in the Premier League. I think that will be the summer when he changes.

“He’s a player like Paul Pogba, he would be perfect for Manchester United and the new midfield there. I hope Juventus get him because that would mean they’ve started signing young players, but it’s going to be difficult.

“It would first require a sale of players like Arthur who could come to Arsenal. They wanted him in January and maybe next summer.”

Arsenal did indeed attempt to revamp their midfield with the signing of Arthur Melo in January. However, a disagreement over the proposed length of his loan spell laid waste to a move.

But Thomas Partey’s recent injury, combined with Mohamed Elneny becoming a free agent, has put Arteta’s engine room back under the microscope.

Tchouameni would represent a stellar addition in north London and securing Champions League football could aid their cause. What’s more, Football London confirm adding a top level central midfielder is a priority.

Napoli’s Fabian Ruiz and Leicester’s Youri Tielemans are both namechecked as viable alternatives in the report. But it is the all-action Tchouameni that would constitute the biggest coup.