According to Sport (page 17), Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has requested that the club acquire Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni this summer.

Manchester United have been busy in the transfer window, spending a total of £162 million (€187m) on forwards Mason Mount, Andre Onana, and Rasmus Hojlund.

The team may want to add a defensive midfielder next. Sofyan Amrabat of Fiorentina has been mentioned frequently, but Sport reports that Ten Hag has other intentions.

The Dutch coach has requested that United attempt to sign Tchouameni.

United may make an offer “very similar” to the €80m plus €20m in add-ons that Madrid paid Monaco for the excellent midfielder last summer.

Tchouameni has been “a strong investment” for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, but he could be released due to “market circumstances” involving Kylian Mbappe.

Bayern Munich, like United, has been a longtime fan of the ex-Monaco star.

If United were to sign Tchouameni, it would be a major statement.

The 23-year-old saw his playing time fluctuate due to competition from Eduardo Camavinga and Toni Kroos, but he always left an impression.

The recent graduate of Bordeaux averaged 1.9 tackles, 1.5 interceptions, and 1.5 clearances per game, with a passing accuracy of 94%. Overall, he was victorious in 66% of his fights.

Aside from that, he only had 5.1 instances of lost property for every time he went out. We believe that Tchouameni has all the makings of a future All-Star midfielder.

United would be wise to invest in him, but whether they can generate enough money from player sales to meet Real Madrid’s asking price is the major question.

We find that possibility to be highly improbable. United, however, can’t be written off if the higher-ups are willing to give the manager more money.