Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United may reportedly be the three main candidates to seal the transfer of Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans this summer.
The Belgium international has been a top performer in his time at the King Power Stadium, and it now seems clear that he’s ready to make the next step up in his career.
According to Todo Fichajes, sources have confirmed that Tielemans will not be signing a new contract at Leicester, with his current deal due to expire in 2023, meaning he could be available on the cheap this summer.
The report names Arsenal, Liverpool and Man Utd as the three main candidates to land Tielemans, whose preference is thought to be to remain in England, though Real Madrid are also mentioned as outside candidates to look out for.
Tielemans could undoubtedly be an important addition at Arsenal, with Mikel Arteta in need of upgrades on under-performing duo Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka.
The Gunners are currently looking in the strongest position to get a top four spot ahead of United, so that could well be crucial in this transfer battle, as the Red Devils may arguably not represent enough of a step up for Tielemans due to their current struggles and uncertainty over who will be their next manager.
Speaking to CaughtOffside recently, former United midfielder Luke Chadwick admitted he’d prefer the signing of Declan Rice over Tielemans anyway.
“It’s a tough question, they’re both fantastic Premier League players,” Chadwick said. “I think if you look at the profile of Declan Rice, a young player right at the top of his game, a character, a leader … in my eyes, no disrespect to Tielemans who’s world class as well, I think getting someone like Rice through the door is a massive statement. It shows they’re serious about winning the league, it’s not a case of working out the best options financially, but just going for the best of the best.
“Tielemans maybe hasn’t been at the same level this season as he has been in the past, but he’s a great player. He can pass the ball, get forward and score, including that fantastic winner in the FA Cup final last season. He’d add loads.
“Either player would improve Man United but in my opinion Rice would be a massive statement signing, and someone who would be a leader for years to come.”
Liverpool, meanwhile, would also do well to bring in Tielemans, as they never replaced Georginio Wijnaldum when he left for Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
The 24-year-old is a similarly intelligent and hard-working all-rounder in the middle of the park, and seems a perfect fit for Jurgen Klopp’s style of play, as well as being a possible upgrade on the likes of Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in that area of the pitch.