Chelsea line up move to sign “best DM in the world”

Chelsea have already sold Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid this month and he may not be the last player to move on from Stamford Bridge in the summer transfer window.

Enzo Fernandez is also a reported target for Real Madrid and could be on his way out of London, if the Spanish giants are prepared to pay the asking price for him.

The Argentina international, who is currently at the World Cup with the reigning champions, is not the only central midfielder from Chelsea who has been linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Earlier this year, Real Madrid were linked with an interest in Ecuador international Moises Caicedo, but that interest does not seem to have progressed since then.

The Blues paid £115m to sign him from Brighton & Hove Albion when they brought him to Stamford Bridge, which could make it incredibly difficult for any team to tempt the club into selling him now.

Chelsea eyeing up Real Madrid star

Caicedo scored one goal and provided three assists in 33 appearances in the Premier League for the club in the 2025/26 campaign, impressing in the middle of the park.

Despite the fee that they paid for him and his eye-catching displays last term, the club are now looking at a star who could be an even better holding midfielder for Xabi Alonso.

According to TEAMtalk, Chelsea are one of a number of clubs lining up a possible move to sign Aurelien Tchouameni from Real Madrid, as BlueCO look to bolster the Spaniard’s squad with quality additions.

The report claims that the Blues and Arsenal are both keeping tabs on the France international’s situation in Spain, whilst Liverpool and Manchester United have even stronger interest in signing him in the summer transfer window.

It adds that the former Monaco star’s future at Real Madrid is in doubt and that there is a genuine chance that they decide to cash in on him before the end of the window.

TEAMtalk reveals that a fee of £87m would be enough to secure a deal for the central midfielder, but it remains to be seen whether or not Chelsea are prepared to pay that much to secure his signature.

How Aurelien Tchouameni would be better than Moises Caicedo for Chelsea

As good as Caicedo has been for Chelsea in recent seasons since his mega-money move from Brighton, Tchouameni could be an even better holding midfielder for the club.

One of the criticisms that could be levelled at the Ecuador international is that he gives away too many fouls and picks up too many bookings, after committing 53 fouls in 33 league games to pick up 12 cards.

Tchouameni is not as rash in the challenge as Caicedo, based on his form for Real Madrid in LaLiga, and is more effective at winning his individual duels, which means that he does not give away as many fouls.

The France international is far more efficient out of possession, as he is dribbled past less and wins a much higher percentage of his defensive duels on the floor and in the air.

That is why he commits 0.7 fewer fouls per game and was carded four fewer times, with no red cards in LaLiga, and these statistics suggest that he would improve Chelsea defensively in the middle of the park.

Tchouameni, described as the “best defensive midfielder in the world” by former teammate Chema Andres, also showcased his defensive skills on the world stage by winning six of his seven duels in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal in the World Cup earlier this month.

Caicedo, meanwhile, lost six of his ten duels for Ecuador in their 1-0 loss to Ivory Coast, giving away three fouls and making one error that led to a shot at goal in his first group stage match at the tournament.

Their respective performances at league level in the 2025/26 campaign and their first World Cup matches both suggest that Tchouameni would be a more dominant and reliable defensive midfielder than Caicedo for Alonso.

That is why BlueCO should be pushing to beat Arsenal, Manchester United, and Liverpool in the race to sign the Real Madrid enforcer in the summer window, as he could be an even better midfielder than Caicedo.