Newcastle United ‘might try’ to sign Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans this month, according to CBS journalist Ben Jacobs.

The Lowdown: Magpies interest

The Belgian’s contract at the King Power Stadium is set to expire at the end of the season, and having not yet put pen to paper on fresh terms, his future is up in the air.

The Telegraph have recently credited the Magpies with an interest in the 25-year-old, and with a cut-price deal potentially up for grabs, the Premier League playmaker could be set to receive an approach from St. James’ Park.

The Latest: Tielemans to Newcastle update

Taking to Twitter, Jacobs revealed that PIF and Newcastle are considering making an attempt to land Tielemans before the end of the month, but claimed that Leicester are keen to retain his services. He wrote:

“Although a growing feeling Newcastle might try, #LCFC's preference (even if it means getting nothing for Tielemans) is to try and hang onto him (along with Maddison) until the end of the season. That makes negotiating with Leicester harder.”

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The Verdict: Shelvey replacement

Jonjo Shelvey has recently been ruled out of action for up to eight weeks with a calf injury, so Tielemans would be the perfect candidate to come in and take his place.

Hailed by his manager Brendan Rodgers as an ‘outstanding player’ and ‘one of Europe’s top midfielders’, the Leicester star ranks in the 86th percentile for average blocks, 85th percentile for tackles and shot-creating actions, and 83rd percentile for passes attempted per match among his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year (FBRef).

The Foxes maestro is a highly creative central player, having made 53 goal contributions during his time in the Midlands, and currently averages 2.2 tackles per league game.

Tielemans’ ability to impact the game at both ends of the pitch is exactly the profile of signing Eddie Howe’s men need which is why they have to act fast should they want to get this deal over the line.