Tchouaméni says he picked Madrid despite talk with Mbappé
Associated PressMADRID — Aurélien Tchouaméni said nothing steered him away from fulfilling his dream of playing for Real Madrid. “Kylian stayed with PSG and he knew I was leaving Monaco, so he wanted to know if I could go to PSG,” Tchouaméni said as he was officially introduced by Madrid. I want to leave my mark in soccer and Madrid is the best club where I can do that.” Mbappé, Tchouaméni’s teammate on the French national team, upset Madrid and its fans after backing down from a free-agent move to the Spanish club this season. “We have a great squad but we know we have a big challenge ahead and we need to add players who are talented and eager to win, so today we bring a magnificent player who will help us keep improving.” Pérez thanked Tchouaméni for having “chosen Madrid instead of other clubs.” Another young midfielder in the squad is 23-year-old Federico Valverde, the Uruguay international who has been with the senior team since 2018. The other Frenchmen in Madrid’s squad are left back Ferland Mendy and striker Karim Benzema, the team’s best player this season as the club also won the Spanish league and the Spanish Super Cup.