Arsenal could still change their long-term plans regarding Leicester City star Youri Tielemans by signing the Belgian midfielder in January. The 25-year-olds Leicester contract expires in the summer with football.london revealing that the Gunners were prepared to wait until the summer to sign him on a free transfer.
The Tielemans transfer saga will reach its conclusion in 2023 but it remains to be seen whether it will arrive in January or June. The latter had been the expected outcome for several months, but The Mirror reported earlier this month that Arsenal are now ‘ready to test Leicester’s resolve' in January.
The report also added that City are ‘braced’ for an offer and that a bid of around £20million would be enough for the club to consider selling.
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Palmeiras midfielder Danilo seemed to be the more likely January acquisition but the need for a ready-made option to arrive in January could be significantly important for Mikel Arteta and Edu if they wish to remain in the race with Manchester City for the Premier League title.
Arsenal attempted to sign a Douglaz Luiz in the summer to improve their midfield depth after injuries to Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny. The Gunners submitted three bids for Luiz on deadline day but saw all three rejected with the Brazilian going on to sign a new deal at Villa Park.
The January transfer window is now just under a week from opening and although Arteta suggested that Arsenal would aim to complete deals early in January, they could opt for a similar tactic on Tielemans that they attempted with Luiz earlier this year, as suggested by Fabrizio Romano.
He told GiveMeSport: “Tielemans has always been on the list at Arsenal, he has always been appreciated.
“At the moment, there are no conversations with Leicester, but I think this is one to watch because in the summer, Arsenal arrived in the final days to try to approach Leicester for Tielemans, then they did the same with Aston Villa for Douglas Luiz.”
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