Aurelien Tchouameni joined Real Madrid last summer (Picture: Getty)

Former Chelsea star Claude Makelele has revealed he helped Real Madrid to sign Aurelien Tchouameni ahead of the Blues.

The midfielder joined the La Liga giants in an £85million deal from Monaco last summer, in a deal that paved the way for Casemiro to join Manchester United.

The 22-year-old’s progress at Monaco over the last two seasons was rapid and he caught attention from every major club in Europe, including Chelsea.

It was felt towards the start of 2022 that Chelsea had the edge on their competitors, with the Blues putting in the groundwork to complete a deal.

However, Roman Abramovich’s forced departure from Stamford Bridge complicated matters and Madrid swooped in to secure the Frenchman.

And Makelele, who spent five years at Chelsea after a three-year stint at the Bernabeu, says he helped the Spaniards sign the midfielder.

Chelsea were keen on the midfielder (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

‘When Tchouameni was about to sign for Real, I spoke with Florentino and he wanted to know more about him,’ Makelele told AS.

‘Chelsea were also interested but if Madrid love you, you should go because it’s the best way to be at your best.’

More: Sport

Chelsea must reinforce their midfield this summer, with N’Golo Kante and Jorginho out of contract.

Kante has rejected a new deal, with the Frenchman holding out for a three-year contract.

However, since rejecting the deal, Kante has been ruled out for four months – which somewhat vindicates Chelsea’s decision to only offer him a shorter term deal.

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It was key.