Aurelien Tchouameni has discussed his decision to turn down Paris Saint-Germain and join Real Madrid, who presented their new signing on Tuesday.
The Frenchman admitted that he was approached by Kylian Mbappe, who tried to convince his Les Bleus teammate to join PSG, but Tchouameni had already made up his mind.
“As soon as Real Madrid‘s offer came along, I told my agent to close the deal,” Tchouameni said at an introductory press conference.
“There were other negotiations, but the first option was Real Madrid.
“By the Champions League final there were already negotiations with Real Madrid and it’s true that when I saw the games against PSG or [Manchester] City I wrote to my agent and said ‘Do everything possible to take me there, please’.
“Kylian Mbappe decided to stay at PSG and he already knew I was leaving Monaco and wanted to know if I could go to PSG, but I told him I wanted [to sign for] Real Madrid and he understood perfectly.”
Who else did Tchouameni speak to before signing for Real Madrid?
Tchouameni went on to reveal that he also talked with compatriots Karim Benzema and Eduardo Camavinga before putting pen to paper on a Real Madrid deal.
“I have been lucky enough to speak to Benzema and Camavinga,” he added.
“In the case of Camavinga we have seen how he has improved in his first year and I will be lucky enough to play at the club with the best striker in the world.
“When the negotiations were progressing, he wrote to me and asked if he could help me.
“Carlo Ancelotti spoke to me too during the negotiations and told me I should come to Real Madrid to continue learning.”
The France international also stressed that he can play both as a holding midfielder and a box-to-box player in Ancelotti‘s 4-3-3 formation.
“I’ve played with two midfielders since I was a kid and at Real Madrid my position would be a No.6 in a 4-3-3, but I can play as a No.8 too,” he noted.
“I can play in both positions. I have no problem playing at the back or the front [in the middle third].”
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