Monaco’s sporting director has likened Aurelien Tchouameni to Steven Gerrard and insists his value is equal to that of Monte Carlo’s famed Grand Casino.
Tchouameni, 21, has emerged as one of the hottest French players on the market since making his debut for Bordeaux in 2018, already collecting seven international caps for the world champions and rising to become an invaluable midfield presence for Monaco.
In Ligue 1 this season, Tchouameni currently ranks first for interceptions (45), second for possessions won in the middle third (76) and sixth for tackles (44) among all players in the division, while he has also attempted more shots than any Monaco player (31) and completed the third-most take-ons (17).
Such an all-round balance of attributes has naturally alerted Europe’s leading lights, with a host of elite clubs thought to be pushing up against the Stade Louis II shop window and keeping an eye on Tchouameni’s progress — Chelsea, Man Utd, Liverpool, Barcelona and Real Madrid are all among those linked.
However, sporting director Paul Mitchell has been quick to downplay the prospect of Monaco losing another prized asset, with the French Riviera club sitting idly as the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Fabinho, Thomas Lemar, Bernardo Silva and James Rodriguez have all left over the past six or seven years.
“He [Tchouameni] is a complete midfielder, very fast and physically strong, he reminds me of Steven Gerrard,” Mitchell told Tuttosport.
“He is already a top player despite being only 21, but if we want to become a top club, then we should not sell him. We are an ambitious club. Everyone, from President Rybolovlev to coach Niko Kovac is ambitious here.
“However, we’ll assess the situation at the end of the season. The player is under contract until 2024 and his transfer value is the one of a top player.
“Everything is expensive in Monte Carlo, let’s say that Tchouameni is as expensive as the Grand Casino.”