Chelsea are looking to bring Aurelien Tchouameni to Stamford Bridge in the summer transfer window as part of an outlandish swap deal.
The 2024/25 season has shown glimpses of high potential from a young Chelsea side, with qualification for the Champions League and a Conference League win now both expected from Enzo Maresca and his young charges.
But after having spent a number of years now buying talented individuals with plenty of promise, Chelsea are now willing to add proven quality to their squad. Now, Real Madrid midfielder Tchouameni has been identified as the perfect fit to take them to the next level.
Chelsea want to complete swap deal for Aurelien Tchouameni
A key member of Carlo Ancelotti's starting XI, Tchouameni has proven he is just as capable playing at centre-back as he is in midfield, though his best position is still at the base of the midfield. Since making a high-profile move from Monaco in 2022, Tchouameni has gone from strength to strength in the Spanish captial, winning La Liga, the Champions League and Copa del Rey all in his short time at the club.
Impressed by his stature and ability, Chelsea have shown a strong interest in the Frenchman for a while now, and are getting ready to make a huge swap deal in the summer.
According to Chelsea insider Simon Phillips, Real Madrid are keen on signing Enzo Fernandez, with the Argentine reportedly extremely interested on swapping Stamford Bridge for the Bernabeu.
While Teamtalk suggests the 24-year-old is happy at Chelsea and wants to continue growing with the young team, Real Madrid is an opportunity too good to turn down.
Chelsea, who don't want to lose Fernandez this summer, have therefore started looking at alternative ways to sweeten the deal on their side. That's where a potential swap deal for Tchouameni has been touted, with the Frenchman seen as a good way for any deal to work.
Fernandez arrived at Chelsea two years ago for a then British-record transfer fee of £106.8m. With his contract not expiring until 2032, the Blues would likely want to make a considerable profit on the midfielder - though a swap for Tchouameni would represent decent financial sense, too.
In FourFourTwo's view, it seems extremely unlikely - verging on impossible - that a deal of this nature would go through. The fact Fernandez has seven years remaining on his deal highlights how much his valuation would be, while Real Madrid simply won't let Tchouameni leave due to his quality.
Chelsea are back in Premier League action on Sunday when they head to the Emirates to face Arsenal.
