Liverpool have been following Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni “very closely,” according to TEAMtalk.

The website claims the Reds, along with Manchester United, have scouted the France international “heavily” but Chelsea remain the frontrunners for the player’s signature.

Tchouameni is said to prefer a switch to Stamford Bridge, with the Blues seeing him as a perfect replacement for N’Golo Kante, but it is still not certain that he will end up moving to the London club.

There is a lot of competition for the 21-year-old’s services, with Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan also believed to be interested.

Any team will have to cough up a large fee to snap up Tchouameni as well, with TEAMtalk claiming that Monaco would demand “in excess of” £40m for the midfielder.

At the moment, it does seem as though Liverpool are trailing in the battle for the Frenchman but that could still change before the summer.