Fabrizio Romano says the Aurélien Tchouaméni door is closed for Manchester United. The midfielder has agreed a new five-year contract with Real Madrid until 2031, and Romano said United had tried for him around April and May before the new deal was sorted.

Romano's update closes the door

Romano did not leave much room for interpretation. “Utd were considering Tchouameni, but before the new contract,” he said, adding that the agreement is “already done” and “already completed.” He also said United viewed him as the “perfect midfielder” to replace Casemiro, but the move was blocked once Madrid tied him down.

That lines up with the wider picture around the player. Real Madrid confirmed Tchouaméni had undergone a medical on return for pre-season, and he reported to Ciudad Real Madrid on Monday for the first day of pre-season alongside Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham. His status at the club is not the status of a player about to be sold.

Why Madrid were never likely to move him on

The scale of his role at Madrid is hard to miss. Tchouaméni has made 195 appearances since arriving from Monaco in 2022, and he has already won eight trophies there. Those are the markers of a player built into the project, not one sitting on the edge of it.

Romano’s update also fits the financial reality United were working against. Andy Mitten said United’s chance would have come only if Madrid wanted to sell one of their best players for money. That was always a narrow route, and it narrowed further once the new deal was in place.

There is still one small wrinkle in how the contract has been framed in the media. Some reports say the new deal has not been formally announced by Real Madrid, while others say it is already closed. The important point for United is unchanged, Tchouaméni is expected to stay in Madrid and the chase is over.

United have already added Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, with those deals totalling £90million, but the reporting says they still wanted one more midfielder. That extra move was supposed to be Tchouaméni. It is not happening now, and Madrid have protected one of their key midfielders until 2031.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →