Chelsea transfer blow with ‘Real Madrid confident of signing Aurelien Tchouameni as Liverpool also target summer move’

REAL MADRID are reportedly in pole position to sign Aurelien Tchouameni to deal Chelsea a huge blow in their pursuit of the Monaco midfielder.

The Blues have been heavily linked with a summer move for the 22-year-old following his standout displays in Ligue 1 this season.

Chelsea are claimed to have identified the youngster as the long-term successor to his French compatriot and international team-mate N'Golo Kante.

Thomas Tuchel's side have been keeping tabs on the player for months, though they are aware they face competition from Premier League rivals Liverpool.

But according to Spanish outlet , Real are determined to secure the signature of the former Bordeaux starlet.

They state that Tchouameni is getting 'closer and closer' to linking up with Los Blancos with talks between the two parties advancing in recent weeks.

It has been said that his preference is to join the Bernabeu outfit as Real and Monaco now look to agree on a fee.

Monaco are understood to value their player at around £54million.

Real's chief scout Juni Calafat has been closely following Tchouameni's progress with the LaLiga leaders confident of signing him.

Tchouameni has been compared to Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard by Monaco sporting director Paul Mitchell.

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Tottenham's former head of recruitment told Tuttosport: "He is a complete midfielder, very fast and physically strong, he reminds me of Steven Gerrard.

"He is already a top player despite being only 22, but if we want to become a top club, then we should not sell him.

"We are an ambitious club. Everyone, from President Rybolovlev to coach Niko Kovac is ambitious here.

"However, we’ll assess the situation at the end of the season. The player is under contract until 2024 and his transfer value is the one of a top player.

"Everything is expensive in Monte Carlo, let’s say that Tchouameni is as expensive as the Grand Casino."