Arsenal have 'shown interest' in signing Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans, according to journalist Rudy Galetti.
The Lowdown: Tielemans' future
Tielemans' current contract is set to expire in the summer, meaning that he will be able to leave Leicester as a free agent if he does not commit to a new deal, which he is showing no signs of doing.
Reporter Ben Jacobs has recently told GIVEMESPORT that the Gunners and Manchester United are the teams 'to watch' in the race for the Belgian's signature, and there has now been an update on the saga.
The Latest: Arsenal interested
In an interview with GIVEMESPORT, Galetti inferred that the midfielder is just one of several targets that Mikel Arteta has, with the player himself set to plot his next move meticulously, rather than rushing in to any decision.
The journalist said: “I reported days ago, Youri Tielemans preferred to remain at Leicester in January to choose carefully the next destination in the summer and to maximise his new contract.
“Arsenal have shown interest in him, but Tielemans is just one of the names in their midfield list.”
The Verdict: Cheaper alternative
Galetti has recently stated that Arteta could bring Albert Sambi Lokonga back into first-team contention next season, depending on how he fares at Crystal Palace, while Arsenal have also been linked with Declan Rice and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
As such, there are plenty of new options to choose from in central midfield, but the benefit of signing Tielemans is that his contract situation means that he would not command a transfer fee.
Hailed as 'super' and a 'creative force' by journalist Josh Bunting, the maestro should be nearing his prime, given that he is 25, and he has very solid all-round attributes, ranking in the 83rd percentile for both tackles and shot-creating actions over the past year.
The Belgium international scores better than Rice on both of these metrics, and his availability on a free would save Arsenal a lot of money, given that the Englishman is expected to cost up to £100m.