Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is extremely keen on having Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans in his ranks from next season, and as revealed by The Telegraph journalist John Percy, he is trying to persuade his employers to make an opening £25 million bid for the services of the midfielder.
The Gunners’ desire for a ready-made player in the middle of the park is no secret, since they failed to agree a deal with Juventus for Arthur Melo back in January. At the moment, the section consists of Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey, Mohamed Elneny (should he agree to sign a new contract) and Albert Sambi Lokonga. It obviously isn’t enough, and even though Martin Odegaard could step into the breach in an emergency, the Norwegian is obviously better employed further up as a No.10.
Arteta has been doing extensive background checks on Tielemans, and Arsenal’s chief UK scout James Ellie was apparently present at the King Power Stadium on Sunday, as the 25-year-old Belgium international helped his team beat Southampton by 4-1.
Tielemans initially joined Leicester on a six-month loan from AS Monaco in January 2019, and the move was turned into a permanent one at the end of that season. In all competitions, he has represented the Foxes on 158 occasions, contributing directly with 24 goals and 24 assists as well. His contribution to Brendan Rodgers’ team winning the FA Cup and the Community Shield last year was quite notable.
However, Tielemans is about to enter the final 12 months of contract at Leicester and he has reportedly decided not to renew his commitment, feeling ready for the next chapter in his career.
