Arsenal are reportedly eyeing a late swoop to sign Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans this winter, as per the 90min.
The Gunners hold a long-term interest in the Belgian international. They have been looking to sign a new midfielder since last summer and the 25-year-old was thought to be their priority target to bolster the engine room before the start of this term.
However, Mikel Arteta’s side didn’t make a concrete approach to purchase the Leicester star last summer and in the end, he remained at the King Power Stadium.
The midfielder’s current deal is set to expire at the end of this season and he has reportedly rejected the opportunity to sign an extension so hei’s set to leave the club as a free agent in the summer.
Arsenal are desperately trying to bring in another central midfielder this month and have identified Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo as their primary target.
Arteta’s side are reportedly set to table a fresh £75m offer for the South American having already seen two lower bids rejected. However, Brighton are adamant Caicedo won’t be sold this month.
late swoop
According to the report by 90min, with Arsenal struggling to find an agreement with Brighton to sign Caicedo, they could switch their focus to signing Tielemans during the closing stages of the winter window.
The Gunners are still ‘in play’ to sign the Belgian international on a free transfer in the summer, but the report suggests they could bring forward those plans to make a late move if their attempts to sign Caicedo prove unsuccessful.
However, Arsenal may also find it difficult to sign Tielemans this month. 90min says that while the player would be open to a late move in the window, Leicester are unwilling to sanction his exit as they are fighting for their lives this season.
With Brendan Rodger’s side only one point ahead of the bottom three, their Premier League status for next season is under threat, so the King Power want to keep Tielemans until the next summer unless a ‘huge’ offer is proposed by the Gunners.
The 25-year-old is valued at £35m by Transfermarkt but Arsenal would want to agree a fee much lower due to his contract situation, but it may not be enough to tempt Leicester into a deal.
We’ll have to wait and see how this develops but time is running out for Arteta to bring in a new midfielder before the window closes.
