Manchester City are poised to be the biggest spenders of any club in this January transfer window.
The Sky Blues are closing in on deals to bring Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Khusanov and Omar Marmoush to the Etihad, set to spend in excess of £120m on the trio.
This would see two defenders and a striker arrive, but Pep Guardiola would also surely like some midfield reinforcements too, given that this has been a problem position ever since Rodri ruptured his ACL against Arsenal in September, so could the Citizens land one of the best midfielders in the world?
Manchester City aiming to sign world-class midfielder
According to reports from Spain, Manchester City are “interested” in Real Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni.
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The report reveals that an asking price for the player has been set by los Blancos and they would be looking to recoup the €80m (£67m) paid to Monaco for Tchouaméni’s services three years ago.
They are not actively looking to sell the Frenchman but would listen to offers.
Since moving to the Spanish capital, the 24-year-old has made 112 appearances for los Merengues, winning eight major trophies, including last season’s La Liga and Champions League double.
He has also quickly established himself as a key player for Didier Deschamps, starting five of France’s six matches at Euro 2024 as les Bleus reached the semi-finals, captaining his nation against Israel and Belgium in October, taking his tally to 38 caps.
How Aurélien Tchouaméni would improve Manchester City
Of late, due to long-term injuries suffered by Dani Carvajal, David Alaba and Éder Militão, Tchouaméni has been forced to fill-in at centre-back for Real Madrid, most-recently doing so in Sunday’s Supercopa de España Final, in which his side were smashed 5-2 by Barcelona in Jeddah.
Nevertheless, his best position is undoubtedly at the base of midfield, with journalist Muhammad Butt on Twitter describing him as “a world-class defensive midfielder”, adding that he’s an all-round “magnificent footballer”.
So, if he is on the market, it’s no surprise that Europe’s biggest clubs are chasing his signature.
Given that Rodri is the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, he is the gold standard for all defensive midfielders, especially at Man City, with İlkay Gündoğan and Mateo Kovačić struggling to fill the void vacated by the Spaniard since suffering a season-ending injury.
So, let’s see how Rodri and Tchouaméni compare.
Appearances
76
67
Minutes
5,831
5,686
Touches
3,996
5,625
Attempted passes
3,532
5,177
Pass completion %
91.8%
92%
Progressive passes
317
546
Tackles
90
103
% of dribblers tackled
47.4%
51.2%
Interceptions
92
39
Errors leading to a shot
2
5
% of aerials duals won
69%
68%
Since the start of last season, Tchouaméni has racked up exactly 145 more minutes than Rodri for club and country, despite the fact the Spaniard has not seen any action since September, albeit this makes comparing the duo interesting.
Rodri’s figures when it comes to touches and attempted passes are both exponentially higher, but this is to be expected, considering how Man City and Spain play, so it’s impressive that, given that context, Tchouaméni’s passing accuracy metric is a mere 0.2% lower.
The Frenchman has the edge when it comes to interceptions as well as the percentage of aerial duals won, potentially due to the fact Carlo Ancelotti has been forced to deploy him as an emergency centre-back on countless occasions during this time frame.
Nevertheless, Tchouaméni’s numbers are comparable to Rodri’s across the board – notably in tackle percentage – which is really the biggest compliment one could give a defensive midfielder.
Thus, if Real Madrid are open to offers, Man City should break the bank to secure his signature.
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