Liverpool lowball Real Madrid for Bellingham alternative

Stuart Telford

• 23 Jun 2023 17:30 BST
• 3 min read

Liverpool lost out on Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid, but they hope the Englishman's arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu will drive down Aurelien Tchouameni's asking price.

Jurgen Klopp identified Bellingham as his top transfer target last year, but the midfielder's ascent at Borussia Dortmund was such that Real felt compelled to beat the Reds to the punch to the tune of an initial €103 million this summer.

Liverpool reacted quickly, signing Argentina World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton for £35m, but with James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita all leaving this summer, further reinforcements in the position are needed.

READ: 'Jude Bellingham BETTER than Zinedine Zidane'

While Khephren Thuram and Manu Kone are among a host of names linked with a move to Anfield, the Reds have also been long-term admirers of Tchouameni, who turned them down for a move to Madrid in at the start of last season.

Opportunity for Liverpool?

But with Bellingham arriving in the Spanish capital at the same time as Toni Kroos and Luka Modric extending their contracts, competition for a place in midfield is fierce, and Liverpool sense an opportunity.

"Although Madrid is open to negotiating for the sale of Tchouameni, they will not make things easy," report El Nacional. "And Liverpool's proposal of €55 million won't be enough to convince Florentino Perez to part ways with his player. Madrid want at least €80m."

READ: Tchouameni lifts lid on rejecting Liverpool

Tchouameni is now valued at €62.9m by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, which might feel like a fair price given the circumstances.

The France international started 24 of his 33 La Liga games last season, but had to accept coming off the bench seven times after the turn of the year.

He impressed enough when he played, though, averaging two interceptions and completing 93 per cent of his passes in the middle of the park - both statistical highs among players in his position across Europe's five major leagues.