Real Madrid responds to Manchester United's move for Tchouaméni: The player must request a transfer to be sold; no negotiations under €120 million.

Manchester United aims to sign French holding midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni from Real Madrid and has initiated talks with his representatives. Interestingly, both Real Madrid's mouthpiece AS (a Spanish newspaper) and Barcelona's Mundo Deportivo agree: Tchouaméni is an impossible dream for Manchester United (Tchouameni, el sueño imposible del Manchester United).

In the summer of 2022, Real Madrid sold Casemiro to Manchester United for €70 million and then signed Tchouaméni from Monaco for €80 million as his replacement. It took Tchouaméni two and a half years to finally win the approval of the Bernabéu fans.

Manchester United truly dreams of acquiring Tchouaméni. According to The Athletic, United is ready to take action if Real Madrid agrees to sell him. However, this assumption is based on the condition "if" Real Madrid agrees to sell.

It is reported that Real Madrid has responded that they will not actively accept offers for Tchouaméni. His contract still has two years remaining, with a release clause of €1 billion. Therefore, only if Tchouaméni himself requests a transfer would "Los Blancos" consider selling him.

Currently, Real Madrid's new coach has clearly indicated to the club that he highly values this French defensive midfielder. So, unless Florentino Pérez can find a replacement of the same caliber, there is no reason to sell Tchouaméni first, as that would tip off other clubs that Madrid is short in that position, leading them to raise their asking prices—similar to what happened when West Ham sold Matheus Fernandes.

Moreover, Tchouaméni's market value on Transfermarkt is already €70 million. Therefore, even if he is persuaded by Manchester United to request a transfer, Real Madrid's asking price would not fall below €120 million, which is equivalent to £100 million. Compared to Tottenham's £100 million deal for Tonali, Tchouaméni's price is not considered excessive.

Spanish media claim that Manchester United understands signing Tchouaméni is no easy task, but they still hold a glimmer of hope that the player might explicitly demand a transfer, similar to Casemiro's situation years ago. However, Tchouaméni's annual salary of €15.5 million (£13 million) adds further uncertainty to the deal, making it almost impossible for United to convince him to take a pay cut.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid intends to extend Tchouaméni's contract. His current deal runs until 2028, and Madrid wishes to prolong it until 2031. Sources close to the club reveal that preliminary discussions regarding the renewal have already taken place.

The 26-year-old Tchouaméni believes he is fully capable of playing at the Bernabéu well into his 30s. "I want to end my career at my peak, always maintaining top form. I want to stay at Real Madrid, the world's top club," Tchouaméni said before the World Cup, effectively ending all speculation about a possible departure.

The sudden transfer rumors surrounding Tchouaméni might be a smokescreen orchestrated by his agent to facilitate contract renewal, fully exploiting Manchester United's interest. This is a common tactic used by many European football stars during contract extensions in recent years. Not only United, but also Chelsea, coached by former Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso, has been linked with the French midfielder.

According to the British Metro newspaper, once Enzo Fernández leaves, Alonso wants Chelsea to compete for Tchouaméni. Previously, Real Madrid was considered a favorite destination for Enzo, but the La Liga giants have publicly stated they have no intention of signing him.

After the month-long transfer saga involving M, Manchester United fans are already exhausted, and they especially do not want to see another prolonged soap opera—especially one in Spain, where the Frenkie de Jong story unfolded.