Liverpool in talks to sign the “best DM in the world”

Liverpool are looking for reinforcements all over the pitch in the summer transfer window after they opted to sack Arne Slot and replace him with Andoni Iraola.

FSG want to back the Spanish head coach with a group of new additions to bolster the squad, and there could be at least one signing to add to their options in the middle of the park.

Morocco defensive midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi is one of the players on the club’s radar, but it will not be an easy deal for them to complete this summer.

Fellow Premier League sides Manchester City and Arsenal are also keen on landing the 18-year-old talent from Lille, who value the teenager at a fee of £80m.

The Ligue 1 side are also hoping to take him back on a season-long loan as part of any transfer, which means that Liverpool would not immediately add him to Iraola’s squad.

Liverpool are in talks to sign French World Cup star

It remains to be seen whether or not the Premier League side would be prepared to agree to send him back on loan as part of a deal, as they want to improve their squad for the upcoming season.

That may be why they are also pursuing other midfield targets as well as Bouaddi, including a player who would be a much better signing for Iraola’s side.

According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool want to explore a deal to sign central midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni from Real Madrid in the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Reds have been in ongoing talks with the World Cup star’s representatives throughout the summer, in the hope that he will become available at some point.

However, this latest update reveals that Jose Mourinho wants to keep hold of the France international and is prepared to offer him a run of starts in midfield for the Spanish giants.

That means that Liverpool will need to be incredibly convincing to both Real Madrid and to the player if they want to go ahead with a move for him in the coming weeks.

Why Aurelien Tchouameni would be better than Ayyoub Bouaddi for Liverpool

Due to Lille’s desire to take him back on loan as part of any deal, Bouaddi does not seem to be a very attractive target for Liverpool to pursue this summer.

Tchouameni, however, would arrive at Anfield immediately and would be able to make an instant impact on the pitch with the qualities that he can provide from a defensive midfield role.

On top of that, the France international’s performances at the World Cup so far suggest that he would offer far more to the team than Bouaddi would, even if the Moroccan ace could join for next season.

The Real Madrid star has been significantly more impressive out of possession, winning more tackles and interceptions, whilst winning a higher percentage of his duels both on the ground and in the air.

Tchouameni was once described as the “best defensive midfielder in the world” by former teammate Chema Andres, and it is hard to argue with that claim when you consider both his international and club form.

Alongside his superb performances for France, the 26-year-old midfield destroyer won 63% of his ground duels and 75% of his aerial duels across 33 appearances in LaLiga for Real Madrid in the 2025/26 campaign.

He also completed 92% of his attempted passes and created four ‘big chances’ for his teammates in the Spanish top-flight, offering reliability and quality on the ball to go along with his dominant defensive work.

Bouaddi, meanwhile, completed 85% of his attempted passes in Ligue 1 and won 55% of his ground duels and 64% of his aerial battles across 30 games in the division.

Whilst the Morocco international’s statistics are impressive for an 18-year-old talent, Tchouameni is the more effective defensive midfielder in the here and now, based on both his club and national team performances.

Therefore, the Frenchman would be a much better signing for the Reds than Bouaddi if they can convince Real Madrid to part ways with him this summer.