Aurelien Tchouameni breaks silence on future amid Manchester United transfer links

Aurelien Tchouameni has addressed his future at AS Monaco amid growing speculation Manchester United want to sign him during this summer transfer window. The 22-year-old has emerged as one of the brightest talents in Europe and has earned rave reviews from Paul Pogba.

Capped eight times by the France national team, Tchouameni signed for Monaco from Bordeaux in 2020 and he's made 29 appearances in Ligue 1 alone this season. As for United, meanwhile, they are expected to prioritise central midfield signings when they get down to business.

Ajax coach Erik ten Hag is edging closer to being appointed as permanent successor to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after the Norwegian was sacked in November. Key figures at the club insist no deal has been finalised, but the Manchester Evening News understand they are set to wait for Ten Hag to have the final say when it comes to pursuing summer targets.

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Declan Rice was thought to be target number one amid concerns West Ham could dig their heels in over a fee and United have started putting the framework together for a deal involving Kalvin Phillips - his England partner. All the while other names such as Tchouameni have been mooted.

Speaking to the official Monaco website, Tchouameni said: "When I start something, I try to be the best I can be. I aspire to be one of the best players in Europe in my position. So I work every day to achieve this goal. This involves working at home or at the club, apart from the team's training sessions.

"We are lucky here at Monaco to have very good infrastructure with the performance centre, which allows us - as players - to optimise our training. For example, I'm just