Last summer Real Madrid also brought in one of the most promising midfielders in football, even if that signing has lost some of its gleam in recent months.
Los Blancos battled off interest from Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain in order to sign Aurelien Tchouameni for over €100m from AS Monaco. Tchouameni lost his place in the second half of last seeason, failing to regain his fitness after the World Cup.
However he was back in the side against Athletic Club for their La Liga opener, and looked something like close to his best. According to The Athletic, Liverpool never entirely cooled off their interest in Tchouameni, and following the departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, see the Frenchman as the perfect player to come in.
Yet they have been met with a firm blank in response. Real Madrid are not willing to deal Tchouameni after just one season in Spain, where ahead of the World Cup he put in a number of strong performances. Equally, Tchouameni himself liked a Fabrizio Romano tweet which said that he was not for sale, which seems fairly conclusive.
Liverpool have been consistently linked with the Frenchman over the summer, but without much reciprocation from the Spanish capital, it appears they should focus their efforts elsewhere. While Tchouameni faces tough competition for his spot in the Real Madrid midfield, being handed a starting spot for the first game is a show of faith from Carlo Ancelotti.