Speaking in a recent interview with Fichajes.com (h/t GOAL), former Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas has heaped praise on Real Madrid star Aurelien Tchouameni, while also revealing that he recommended the Catalans to sign him in the past.

Tchouameni arrived at Real Madrid this past summer in a deal worth €80 million plus €20 million in add-ons. Following Casemiro’s departure, he was thrust into the limelight right away by Carlo Ancelotti and the 22-year-old has not put a foot wrong since arriving.

Indeed, Tchouameni has become a key player for Ancelotti’s side and is currently starring at the FIFA World Cup 2022 with France.

Now, Fabregas, who had played with Tchouameni at AS Monaco in the past, has hailed the youngster, stating that there are no limits to what he can achieve.

During the chat, he also revealed that he had recommended Tchouameni’s signing to Barcelona but finances prohibited any move from happening.

“Yes, it’s true that I spoke to Barça about Aurelién. They wanted to start preparing the succession of Sergio Busquets and for me he was the perfect player. It was at a time when Barça were short of money and I don’t think they could offer more than €40 million,” he said.

“Then he signed for Real Madrid, he’s a permanent fixture there and he’s essential in the French national team. For me, Aurélien has no limits.”

Opening up on the first time he saw Tchouameni in action, Fabregas added: “I quickly realised he was not a player like the others. The first time I saw him was during a Ligue 1 match against Bordeaux with Monaco.

“I was on the bench and I was impressed with his performance. They beat us and I remember asking one of our assistants: “but who is this Bordeaux midfielder?”, he reminisced.

Fabregas also revealed that he was close with Tchouameni and the youngster sought advice from the former Arsenal captain, saying:

“I spoke a lot with Aurélien, we exchanged a lot of opinions, even when he came to the France national team. He asked me for a lot of advice about my career at clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, and FC Barcelona,” he said.