Arsenal have already agreed a deal to sign Barcelona target Youri Tielemans in the summer of 2023, when his contract with Leicester expires.
That is according to Voetbal Primeur, who believe the Gunners have reached an agreement with the 25-year-old.
ARSENAL SET TO SIGN TIELEMANS
Well, the report claims that Arsenal have had an agreement with Tielemans in place for some time now, which explains why he has resisted signing a new contract at the King Power Stadium.
Voetbal Primeur believe Newcastle and Manchester United are also keen to sign the Belgium international, but they are set to miss out.
Elsewhere, SPORT in Spain revealed that Tielemans is on the radar of Barcelona, with the cash-strapped Catalans scouring the free agency market for new recruits.
Despite his contract situation, the Leicester No.8 has performed well for the Foxes this season, scoring three goals in 14 Premier League appearances so far, while also captaining the side on five occasions.
ARSENAL SHOULD CONSIDER BRINGING TIELEMANS DEAL FORWARD
Interestingly, Voetbal Primeur specifically state that Tielemans will not be arriving in January, but the summer.
In our view, if this agreement does exist between Arsenal and the Belgian, then Mikel Arteta and Edu should probably consider bringing it forward.
The form of Arteta’s midfield fringe players in the Europa League, namely Albert Sambi Lokonga, has not been up to the required standard, and the Gunners may see their title charge collapse if Granit Xhaka or Thomas Partey suffer a serious injury.
Therefore, a fresh option in the midfield department wouldn’t go amiss, and with Tielemans clearly keen to join, perhaps an offer of £15m – for example – could tempt Leicester into a winter sale, rather than losing him for nothing at the end of the season.
Be sure to keep an eye on this situation, as it sounds like Tielemans will definitely be signing for Arsenal at some point in 2023.
