Monaco starlet Aurelien Tchouameni has admitted he is trying his best to ignore the speculation surrounding his future, but he did confess to being 'flattered' by interest from across Europe.
The 21-year-old has enjoyed a superb 12 months with Monaco, earning a call-up to the French national team and comparisons to Chelsea superstar N'Golo Kante.
Chelsea are one of many sides chasing Tchouameni, with Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool among the teams keeping a close eye on the youngster.
Understandably, the Spanish media have spent a lot of time discussing a potential switch to the Santiago Bernabeu for Tchouameni, with Marca going as far as to put the midfielder on their front cover, and he was asked about being a cover star in a recent interview with L'Equipe.
"I remember I was in Paris, after the Nations League," he recalled. "I woke up and my phone had blown up.
"My father called me, we talked about everything and he told me that I was on the front page of Marca. I went on Twitter and saw for myself.
"I told him it was cool, but what does it actually matter? It doesn't. The front page of Marca will not define me or allow me to perform well in matches. It's not real life, but it is the media world, the football business. They talk about me today but tomorrow, they'll be talking about another.
"In the dressing room, they put the cover up and laughed' 'Oh, you're leaving us already?'.
"It's flattering, but I don't wake up in the morning thinking about it."
He went on to stress just how much he tries to ignore the rumours, insisting he has been dealing with speculation for a good few years now.
"When I started in Bordeaux, the media were already wondering every summer if Aurelien Tchouameni was going to move to a bigger club," he explained. "In 2018, they were already talking about Juventus or Milan.
"I know for a fact that what is true in October is not necessarily what's true in June. If I start to think that I'm going to leave, it will show directly in my performances on the pitch."
Source : 90min