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Manchester United midfield target Aurelien Tchouameni appears in no hurry to leave Monaco amid claims he is one of the names at the top of Erik ten Hag’s summer shopping list.

The Red Devils are preparing to usher in Ten Hag as their new manager. With a verbal agreement in place for the 52-year-old, an announcement is expected early next week. He is due to become United’s fifth permanent boss since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement – and the highest-paid Dutch manager in the process.

Speculation is now beginning over what his side will look like next season. As such, Ten Hag is reportedly looking to have an active say in their transfer business as he looks to shape a successful future.

Strengthening in attack and defence is seemingly in focus too. With Cristiano Ronaldo poised to leave, United are reportedly in pole position to land Darwin Nunez – thanks, in part, to another Old Trafford star.

However, they also will need to bolster their midfield options too. With Paul Pogba likely to leave as a free agent, Nemanja Matic has also too announced his departure this summer.

The experienced Serbian star has had an increasing dwindling role at United. Even so, his exit, alongside Pogba, suddendly makes United’s midfield a priority area to address.

The likes of Kalvin Phillips, Amadou Haidara, Ruben Neves and Youri Tielemans are all being linked with possible moves.

However, a report on Friday claims that it is actually Tchouameni, who is top of Ten Hag’s wish list.

The 22-year-old has developed a solid reputation as one of French football’s best young stars. Known as a fierce tackler with an exceptional engine, Ten Hag seemingly wants him to anchor United’s midfield next season.

Signing him will not come cheap, though. To that end, Manchester United will seemingly have to pay around £60m for his services.

Irrespective of United’s plans, Tchouameni appears in no hurry to depart Monaco.

Aurelien Tchouameni enjoing life at Monaco

Citing what attracted the club to him in the first place, the eight-times capped France star has been undelining his happiness at the Principality.

He told Monaco’s official website: “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 AS Monaco to have very good infrastructure with the performance center, which allows us all to optimize our training. For example, I’m just coming out of a core training session with the club’s physical trainer.

“These are things I try to do regularly, especially for injury prevention. Today I am getting through matches without having any physical issues. So that means that I am working well on the side, with the physiotherapists, and the staff, in particular to avoid muscular problems.

“At home I also have a gym, and I sometimes put in a few more sessions, like last night, always under the direction of the team’s staff.

“Monaco are a very big French club with a wonderful history! Very great players have played here..

“When I was at Bordeaux and heard of the club’s interest in me, I did not hesitate for a second to come here. I knew it could help me progress, with top facilities. It’s a top project for young players. So today I am very happy to be part of this great club.”

Playing alongside Youssouf Fofana, Aurelien Tchouameni played a starring role in a recent 3-0 win over PSG.

He added: “It felt good to play in this system. After the last games, I questioned myself. Today we found some answers and that made our game much smoother. This is a good sign for the future.”

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