Youri Tielemans' future with Leicester City continues to draw speculation as the Belgian midfielder enters the final six months of his deal. Tielemans has been linked with a switch to Arsenal and Chelsea in recent weeks with both teams in need of midfield reinforcements.
Mikel Arteta had hoped to add a new central midfielder to his squad in the summer transfer window, but a move for Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz failed to be agreed as the Gunners had three bids rejected. football.london reported in the summer the Gunners have already agreed personal terms with Tielemans, but are willing to wait until next summer to sign the 25-year-old on a free transfer when his contract expires.
Sporting director Edu Gaspar is looking to reinforce Arteta's squad in January with the club actively pursuing a deal for Shakhtar Donetsk talent Mykhaylo Mudryk. Arsenal have had a £55million bid including add-ons rejected by Shakhtar with talks set to continue, but a midfielder remains one priority area to strengthen in January, football.london understands.
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The Gunners' plan to wait to sign Tielemans on a free transfer at the end of the season may be threatened after Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers' latest admission. The Foxes boss has told BBC Radio Leicester reporter Owynn Palmer-Atkin that discussions with a number of players have begun on contract renewals ahead of their deals expiring in the summer, including the Belgium international.
Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka have both improved drastically this season, but Arteta knows his options are limited should either of his starting midfielders suffer injuries that could hamper Arsenal's Premier League title fight with Manchester City. Speaking in September, the Tielemans said: "I'm not going to speak too much about my contract situation at the moment.
"I didn't leave in the summer as I always said the project had to be the right one. Just because things are getting worse now at Leicester doesn't mean I should regret.
"Whether you are in your last contract year or not, it's also not the case that I talk to the club every day about my extension or not, that is work for my agent. In the end, I will decide. There was talk of different clubs, but I won't go into that."
Should Arsenal suffer an injury crisis in midfield, it could force their hand in signing Tielemans earlier than anticipated for a cut-price fee as his contract runs down. The Belgium international has registered five goal contributions in 19 appearances so far this season, and would be a brilliant addition given his attributes fit well with Arteta's tactics at the Emirates Stadium.
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