Aurelien Tchouameni has disclosed that he turned down a plea from Kylian Mbappe to join Paris Saint-Germain prior to making a €100 million (£85 million/$107 million) transfer to Real Madrid, where he will take over the No.18 shirt from Gareth Bale.
The promising 22-year-old has joined the Blancos after a successful two-and-a-half seasons at Monaco.
His current ability and future potential have persuaded the current holders of the La Liga and Champions League titles to invest heavily in him, with a hot prospect preferring to fill the void left by a Wales international in the Spanish capital over joining an illustrious countryman in the French equivalent.
Related: Real Madrid New Signing Tchouameni Takes Bale’s No.18 Shirt As He’s Unveiled At Bernabeu
Could Tchouameni have joined Paris Saint-Germain?
Tchoumani revealed at his formal unveiling at the Bernabeu why, after seeing Mbappe pass up the chance to join Real Madrid this summer as he committed to a new contract with PSG, he believes the right decision for his future has been taken.
He stated: “Kylian decided to stay at PSG and he already knew I was going to leave Monaco and wanted to know if I could go to PSG, but I told him I wanted Madrid and he understood perfectly.
“I have been lucky enough to speak with [Karim] Benzema and [Eduardo] Camavinga. In the case of Camavinga, we have seen how he has improved in his first year and I am going to be lucky enough to play for the club with the best striker in the world. When the negotiations progressed, he wrote to me and he asked me if he could help me.
“I now want to leave a mark on football and the best club for this is Real Madrid. It’s the best decision for me. I try to be the best on the field. The price of the signing doesn’t interest me at all.”
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