Aurelien Tchouameni has disclosed that he rejected Liverpool and manager Jurgen Klopp because Real Madrid was his only choice once they expressed interest. The French midfielder, who was Liverpool's primary midfield target, completed a £68 million move to the Spanish capital.
Klopp made significant efforts to sign the 22-year-old, including a personal trip to Monaco and a phone call. However, Tchouameni said: 'As soon as Real Madrid arrived on the scene, I did not hesitate. I want to leave a mark on football and the best club for this is Real Madrid.'
Paris Saint-Germain also attempted to sign him, with Kylian Mbappe personally trying to convince his international teammate. Tchouameni explained: 'Kylian decided to stay at PSG and he already knew that I was going to leave Monaco and wanted to know if I could go to PSG, but I told him I wanted Madrid and he understood perfectly.'
The midfielder admitted that watching Real Madrid's Champions League run, which included a final victory over Liverpool, inspired his decision. 'I wrote to my agent and told him: do everything possible to take me there, please,' he said.
Liverpool have since signed Benfica striker Darwin Nunez but missed out on their prime midfield target for the summer window.
