Manchester United’s interest in Aurelien Tchouameni is likely to be scuppered by incoming Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho.
The 26-year-old is one of a number of midfield targets for the Red Devils this summer, as they look to revamp that area of the pitch.
A deal has been agreed to sign Ederson from Atalanta, with the Brazil international set to arrive on a £35m deal.
It has been an eventful summer already for Ederson, who initially missed out on the Brazil World Cup squad, but was called up on Sunday after an injury to Roma’s Wesley.
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Another central midfielder is expected to arrive, with the likes of Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali, Adam Wharton, Alex Scott and Carlos Baleba linked.
France international Tchouameni is another player of interest, but he will prove difficult to get out of Real Madrid due to their incoming manager.
Mourinho is set to make a surprise return to his former club, 13 years after he left the Bernabeu after his first stint in charge.
The 63-year-old’s powers have appeared to be waning for some time, but after stints at Tottenham, Roma, Fenerbahce and Benfica, he is set to return to the biggest job in world football.
The Sun report that he will quickly scupper United’s interest in Tchouameni as he wants to keep hold of the Frenchman.
The former Monaco star has been a regular in the Real Madrid first team, turning out 49 times across all competitions last season and 58 times the previous campaign.
Doubts did emerge over his future at the club after training ground clashes with teammate Federico Valverde, but the Frenchman has downplayed their severity, despite both men being fined €500,000 (£432,100) by their club.
‘Certain events have occurred, and you’ve all seen the coverage,’ he said. ‘But this situation has been blown out of proportion. At Real Madrid, everything provokes a massive reaction. Still, a lot of nonsense has appeared in the press.
‘I’ve read that there was a fight and that I’m supposed to have hit him. That’s simply not true. I won’t go into any further detail.’
He added: ‘The most important thing is that the club knows what happened. So many things happen in the dressing room that the media never find out about. Life goes on.
‘Fede and I have one clear goal: to win titles with Real Madrid. There are absolutely no problems.’