'Mbappe tried to get me to reject Real Madrid for PSG!' reveals Tchouameni

Suraj Radia

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:55 CDT
• 3 min read

Aurelien Tchouameni has revealed Kylian Mbappe tried to persuade the midfielder to turn down a move to Real Madrid and sign for Paris Saint-Germain instead.

Real signed Tchouameni from Monaco in the summer for €80 million after he rejected interest from PSG and Liverpool, a parallel move to Mbappe who reneged on an agreement to join Los Blancos and instead signed a new contract with the French side.

Tchouameni admitted that he had spoken to Mbappe about his plans prior to making his decision but insisted his decision had already been made, despite the attempts of the striker and PSG defender Presnel Kimpembe.

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“It was a very cool discussion with Kylian,” Tchouameni told L’Equipe. “He wanted to know what I was planning to do. I also asked him what he was planning to do.

“In June he decided he was going to stay and he was teasing me with Kimpembe: 'Come on, you have to come too [to PSG]!' But my choice had already been made a long time ago. We laughed."

Tchouameni could end up being joined in Madrid by Mbappe instead, with the PSG forward reportedly unsettled at the club and believed to be regretting signing a two-year extension in the summer.

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Tchouameni: I’m not here to win titles, not to watch

Tchouameni also revealed that one of his goals is to see his name feature in the shortlist for the Ballon d’Or, having been motivated by teammate Karim Benzema winning the trophy this year.

"Yes, I have a challenge with my father about that," he admitted. "It's up to me to achieve it as soon as possible.

“When Karim brought his Ballon d'Or to celebrate, in my head I said to myself: 'The Bernabeu has seen a lot of Ballon d'Ors."

The 22-year-old also brushed off any notion of pressure from his pricetag, which makes him the third-most expensive signing in Real’s history.

“No, I don't feel that pressure,” Tchouameni said. “In my head, I'm built for this. It is my destiny. It means that I worked, I made sure to get here. Now that I'm here, what do I do?

“I have to earn my place as a starter, that I perform well, that I win titles. So I'm not here to watch.”