Arsenal have held talks with Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans ahead of a possible move in the summer transfer window, according to TeamTalk.
The Gunners are in the market for a midfielder despite bringing in Jorginho from Chelsea in the winter transfer window. Jorginho has had a decent start at Emirates Stadium, but has failed to break into the first team trio of Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, and Granit Xhaka.
The Italy midfielder has racked up nine appearances in all competitions and scored once to help the Gunners continue their title charge as they sit at the top of the league table with 72 points, eight points ahead of defending champions Manchester City with 9 matches left to play.
However, Mikel Arteta wants to sign a midfielder to provide depth to his team ahead of next season and Tielemans is back on his radar. TeamTalk claims several of Leicester’s top players will leave if they are relegated including James Maddison, Harvey Barnes, and Wilfred Ndidi as well as Tielemans.
The Belgian international’s current contract will expire in June so he’ll leave on a free transfer this summer and TeamTalk says Arsenal are now in talks with the players representatives discussing a potential move.
Reinforcement
Tielemans has long been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium and it appears Arsenal could finally get their man in the summer, however, according to TeamTalk, he is putting a transfer in doubt due to his huge demands.
It is believed that the Gunners have now backed away after Tielemans asked for a contract that would have put him in the top bracket of earners at the club. If he changes his stance, Arsenal are ready to sign him, but not at his current wage demands.
He is attracting interest from several clubs including Arsenal, Liverpool, and Newcastle United, who are also unwilling to meet the demands that Tielemans’ representatives have been looking for.
The 25-year-old, who is valued at £26m by Transfermarkt, has established himself as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League since moving to King Power Stadium from AS Monaco in 2019.
He has made 187 appearances in all competitions, scored 28 goals, and provided 25 assists for Leicester. He was instrumental for the Foxes when they defeated Chelsea 1-0 to lift their first-ever FA Cup title in 2021.
This season, Tielemans has five goal contributions in 29 appearances across all competitions as Leicester languish in 19th position after 28 matches played so far.
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