New Real Madrid signing Aurelien Tchouameni has revealed that Kylian Mbappe tried to convince him to join Paris Saint-Germain instead of the Champions League winners.
Tchouameni was paraded in the Spanish capital following his move from Monaco, in a deal thought to be worth up to €100million.
And there the 22-year-old revealed details of his exchange with the PSG forward.
“Kylian Mbappe spoke to me, he asked me if I could come to PSG. But I told him that I wanted to join Real Madrid, my choice has always been Madrid. He understood my decision and is happy for me,” Tchouameni said.
PSG showed their interest in the midfielder and despite the Parisians reportedly offering Monaco a more lucrative offer, Tchouameni had no interest in moving to the French capital.
Mbappe caused a stir last month when he turned down the overtures of the 14-times European Cup winners to stay at boyhood club PSG.
It had looked as though Mbappe would be moving to Madrid with his contract expiring in Paris and talks of a new deal at a standstill.
But Mbappe finally put pen to paper on a new three-year deal last month which sparked plenty of animosity toward the player from the Spanish press, and a few cheeky digs from Madrid’s players who were convinced he was going to sign.
Tchouameni joins compatriot Eduardo Camavinga at the Santiago Bernabeu as Real look to seal the future of their midfield.
Tried and trusted trio Casemiro Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are all over the age of 30 now, with Federico Valverde and Camavinga two stars set to replace them eventually, with Tchouameni also coming in.
It has been a stellar season for Tchouameni who has been – alongside Wissam Ben Yedder – Monaco’s stand out player.
He played a key role in Monaco’s late-season run of nine wins in 10 games to qualify for the Champions League, which looked highly unlikely at one stage.
Despite never playing Champions League football, Tchouameni has 12 international caps for France, scoring once and, barring injury, looks nailed on to be included in Didier Deschamps squad for the World Cup this winter.
Source: Talk Sport