Five Potential Destinations for Aurelien Tchouameni Amid Real Madrid Exit Talk

Real Madrid must be looking at this ludicrous midfield market and thinking they could demand the world if a serious buyer emerges for Aurélien Tchouaméni this summer.

Suddenly, Newcastle United’s Italy international Sandro Tonali is a £100 million ($134 million) soccer player—Tottenham Hotspur the club willing to cough up the cash—and while the Italian is a very good midfielder worthy of acclaim, gone are the days when such figures were exclusively preserved for the upper echelon of talent.

Insidious inflation combined with some old-school desperation forced Spurs to make the moves they did. In the process, they may well have hindered their rivals from landing midfield targets of their own.

New Real Madrid manager José Mourinho, back for a second spell at the Bernabéu, should not be trying to sell Tchouaméni. Amid a 2025–26 campaign of turmoil for Real Madrid, the Frenchman stood tall, had a generally fine season in the Spanish capital and is producing again for the national team on the biggest stage.

Still, according to Spanish publication SPORT, Madrid are thinking about cutting ties with the outstanding midfielder to "generate financial flexibility" and make "top-level signings". Letting one of your "top-level" players go to facilitate such moves appears counter-productive, but this is Real Madrid and re-elected president Florentino Pérez seldom operates by the book.

So, if Tchouaméni really is on the market this summer, here are five potential destinations for him, ranked by a combination of suitability and the likelihood of any deal being struck.

5. Bayern Munich

Leon Goretzka has left Bayern. | Oliver Kaelke/DeFodi Images/Getty Images

It’s been a long time since Bayern Munich were linked with Tchouaméni. 2023, in fact.

Much has changed since then, with Vincent Kompany taking the reins and evolving Die Roten into the most potent attacking juggernaut German soccer’s ever seen.

Joshua Kimmich remains a constant in midfield, and Aleksandar Pavlović has broken through to emerge as his captain’s preferred partner.

The club parted ways with Leon Goretzka at the end of another successful domestic season, so it would appear as if there’s a hole to be filled in Bayern’s engine room.

However, recent reports suggest they’re content with their midfield options heading into 2026–27. Young Tom Bischof is poised to play a bigger role, and there’s also excitement building around 20-year-old Noël Aséko.

It’d take something out of the ordinary for the club to pursue Tchouaméni this summer.

4. Chelsea

Real Madrid have been linked with Enzo Fernández. | Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images

A Chelsea move for Tchouaméni has never been on the cards, and a potential pursuit was made all the more unlikely when Real Madrid confirmed they won’t be signing Enzo Fernández this summer.

Had Los Blancos decided to make a move for the Argentinian midfielder, the Blues may well have sought Tchouaméni as part of the deal.

It’s not yet clear what Chelsea’s midfield will look like with Xabi Alonso at the helm, although their moves in the market suggest the Spaniard will adopt a back three at Stamford Bridge. Alonso may be trying to replicate the dynamics he established at Bayer Leverkusen, even attempting to sign one of the stars of that team, Granit Xhaka.

While Tchouaméni would improve almost every team on the continent, Chelsea do not require a holding midfielder with Moisés Caicedo still very much on their books.

3. PSG

Talk has been building about a potential Tchouaméni exit from Real Madrid this summer for quite some time, and Paris Saint-Germain were among the teams linked with the dominant holding midfielder when such reports started to emerge.

Luis Enrique’s Parisians are back-to-back Champions League winners, and it’s not just their magnificent forward line that’s responsible for their continental supremacy.

Enrique’s engine room has worked in glorious harmony over the past two years, with Fabián Ruiz returning from injury down the stretch to once again partner João Neves and Vitinha. As a trio, they’re special. Warren Zaïre-Emery doesn’t look out of place when he fills in either.

Some may argue that another high-quality option could be acquired to offer Vitinha stiffer competition at the base of the triumvirate, with Enrique converting centerback Lucas Beraldo into a holding midfielder to offer the Portuguese respite.

Tchouaméni is, of course, far too good to be rotting away on the bench, and the lack of guarantees over game time means he’d be unlikely to return to France via the capital if PSG were interested.

2. Man City

Elliot Anderson — The Cityzens have already made one big midfield splash. | Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto/Getty Images

In truth, there aren’t too many realistic destinations for Tchouaméni, but this is genuinely feasible.

While Manchester City have made Elliot Anderson the most expensive British soccer player of all time, we know that they want to add another player to Enzo Maresca’s midfield depth chart this summer.

City were in the hunt for Tonali, but they were blown out of the water by Spurs.

The money is there for the Cityzens to spend, and Tchouaméni could be the Rodri heir they require. Anderson is cut from a different cloth and more likely to compensate for the hustle and bustle lost by Bernardo Silva’s exit. There’s scope for him to evolve into a Rodri-like holder, but he isn’t there yet.

Still, while this is a deal that makes sense, there’s a clear frontrunner in the Tchouaméni race.

1. Man Utd

Michael Carrick — The Red Devils desperately need midfield reinforcements. | Steven Paston/PA Images/Getty Images

Manchester United supporters are growing restless.

They never would've suspected Spurs to have been capable of snatching not just Tonali away from them, but Mateus Fernandes, too. United were strongly interested in the Portuguese international, and his move to north London undoubtedly hurts.

They’ve already added box-to-box operator Éderson to their ranks, barring the final inking of official paperwork, but that’s not going to be enough. Not with Casemiro moving on, Manuel Ugarte suffering a significant knee injury and the added demand of Champions League soccer next season.

INEOS simply must deliver another option for Michael Carrick, and Tchouaméni is now regarded as their top target. Sky Sports report that the Frenchman is being strongly considered alongside the likes of Alex Scott, Felix Nmecha, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Sander Berge.

Tchouaméni is the stabilizer United requires after Casemiro’s exit, and if Madrid are willing to play ball, he has to be the midfielder they go after.

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