Vicarage Road, Watford, Britain - May 15, 2022, Leicester City's Youri Tielemans applauds fans.
There is a ‘strong possibility’ that Arsenal could make a ‘late push’ to try and sign Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
The Lowdown: Tielemans’ contract
The 25-year-old has now entered the final 11 months of his contract at the King Power Stadium, duly raising questions over his long-term future.
The Gunners have regularly been touted with a move for the Belgium international, although they have thus far failed to meet the Foxes’ £40m valuation of the player.
Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers has said that he would like to resolve Tielemans’ future as soon as possible, with the plausibility of the midfielder’s exit still looming large.
The Latest: Jones’ claim
Jones believes that Arsenal could wait until later on in the transfer window to make a move for the Leicester star.
Speaking with GiveMeSport, the transfer insider claimed: “I think Arsenal’s priority has been to get a few fringe players out of the squad to open up space and room on the wage bill and then I think they will try and sign another midfielder.
“I would be surprised if it was James Maddison, but there’s a strong possibility they might make a late push for Tielemans.”
Should Arsenal sign Tielemans?
Yes
No
The Verdict: Adds good squad depth
Considering his attacking statistics, the arrival of Tielemans at the Emirates Stadium would provide Mikel Arteta with strong depth going forward, allowing the likes of Martin Odegaard to be rotated when necessary.
As per FBRef, compared with positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, the 25-year-old Belgian ranks in the 95th percentile for shots taken, the 89th percentile for progressive passes and the 88th percentile for expected assists.
Previously hailed a ‘top class player’ by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, Tielemans is a tried-and-tested Premier League midfielder, playing 121 times in the division.
Therefore, if Arsenal do decide to make a move for him, they would have a fairly good idea what calibre of player they would be getting before he arrives in north London.
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