‘At the minute…’ – James Pearce responds to reports of potential Liverpool raid on Real Madrid | OneFootball

James Pearce has responded to fresh rumours from the continent linking Liverpool with a potential move for a Real Madrid midfielder.

It was two-and-a-half years ago that the Reds were pushing hard to try and sign Aurelien Tchouameni (then playing for Monaco), only for him to opt for the Bernabeu instead.

In recent days, one Spanish outlet reported that Anfield chiefs will enquire again about the 24-year-old ahead of their Champions League fixture against Los Blancos next Wednesday.

Pearce addresses latest Tchouameni rumours

While Pearce acknowledged those latest links with the France international, he doesn’t envisage him transferring to Liverpool any time in the foreseeable future unless Arne Slot’s midfield options were to be decimated.

The journalist said on the latest Walk On podcast: “No, all quiet at the moment. No, no. You know, there’s been a lot of talk about Tchouameni, hasn’t there, at Real Madrid?

“There’s talk about them potentially looking to move him on, and I think mainly because obviously we know Liverpool were so keen a couple of years ago when he went from Monaco to Real Madrid, that those links have surfaced.

“I’ve been told at the minute there’s nothing concrete in that. I think a lot will depend on how Liverpool get through this period up to January. Slot has always talked about wanting two players for every position, and effectively he’s got that.”

(Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Liverpool don’t need Tchouameni right now

It feels as though the Tchouameni links have never truly gone away ever since Liverpool’s unsuccessful pursuit of him at the end of the 2021/22 season, so we can understand if plenty of fans were sceptical of the latest rumours emanating from Spain.

Pearce is one of the most trusted sources on the various comings and goings at Anfield, so when he says that there’s ‘nothing concrete’ in these fresh reports, we can take it that a move for the Real Madrid midfielder won’t materialise any time soon.

Also, as the journalist alluded to, it isn’t as if Slot is scraping the bottom of the barrel for options in that area of the pitch. Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones have been excellent this season, while Alexis Mac Allister continues to perform consistently.

That still leaves the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo, Harvey Elliott (hopefully back from injury soon) and Tyler Morton in reserve, so competition for places is already strong.

We surely haven’t heard the last of Tchouameni being linked with Liverpool, although it seems most unlikely that he’ll swap the Bernabeu for Anfield in the foreseeable future – unless the picture changes drastically on Merseyside.