Sources have told ESPN that Aurelien Chuamini is set to join Real Madrid from Monaco on a five-year contract.
The Champions League and Ligue 1 winners have reached an agreement on a deal worth up to 80 million euros ($86 million) plus add-ons with the player who is due to undergo a medical before the transfer is complete.
Real Madrid witnessed competition from Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool to reach Chuamini, with both clubs trying to persuade the player to follow in the footsteps of Kylian Mbappe and reject the Spanish giant.
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ESPN reported in May that the midfielder had decided to opt for Real Madrid despite interest from Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain.
However, sources told ESPN that the deal was held up by a tax issue. The Spanish Treasury considers the Principality of Monaco a tax haven, and therefore it is expected to require Monaco to pay 24% in taxes in addition to the €60 million profit it will derive from the deal.
Despite the complications, both Madrid and Monaco managed to reach an agreement that would see Chuamini join the Spanish champions for the next five years.
According to ESPN sources, fellow France international Mbappe has tried to persuade the 22-year-old to join him at PSG but Chwamini has been clear about playing for the European champions.
ESPN reported in January that Real Madrid were looking into options to rejuvenate their midfield, and club chief scout Johnny Calafat visited Monaco that month to lay the groundwork for a potential deal.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti wanted the club to prioritize the signing of a new defensive midfielder, and Chuamini was the main candidate before Ajax’s Ryan Gravenburch.
Los Blancos They want to modernize their midfield and believe the young Frenchman has everything to “become a defensive midfielder in the future”.
Ancelotti, who previously saw Antonio Rudiger joining the club on a free transfer from Chelsea, will now have Chuamini as the main option he could alternate with Casemiro.
Chuamini played 35 league games with Monaco last season and scored three goals to finish third in the standings behind Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille.
He has already played 10 times for France and was selected by coach Didier Deschamps in the squad for this month’s Nations League matches against Denmark, Croatia and Austria.
