Aurelien Tchouameni could fix £25m mistake and solve Thiago problem for Liverpool

As John W Henry made his fortune in futures trading, he clearly knows the importance of buying or selling at the best possible moment. Yet Liverpool may have made a costly mistake in the transfer market, at least if rumours are to be believed.

Last summer it was reported that the Reds were looking to sign Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco for £25milion. While that deal did not come to pass, the rumours have refused to go away, and have resurfaced once again.

Things may be moving forward now though. Santi Aouna of Foot Mercato has claimed Liverpool have contacted the player’s representatives regarding a potential transfer, with Jurgen Klopp having identified Tchouameni as “one of his priorities” for this summer.

However, it will reportedly now cost at least £42million to prise the 22-year-old midfielder out of Ligue 1 and into the Premier League. As Tchouameni will only have two years remaining on his contract at the end of this season, why has the price risen by 68 percent?

One key difference from last summer is that the Monaco man is now a full international, having made eight appearances for France this season. Tchouameni scored his first goal last time out too, netting the winner in a 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast.

While Ibrahima Konate has not yet made the step up to the senior side, he did win two under-21 caps alongside Tchouameni during the last European Championship at that level. If Liverpool need any insight into the player’s character ahead of potentially making a bid, they do have someone they can ask.

With the Reds’ recruitment process as thoroughly analytical as it is, Tchouameni will need to tick the correct numerical boxes and he has been doing that recently. In February, WhoScored declared that the