Former Arsenal forward Kevin Campbell believes the Gunners should focus their attention on Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans as opposed to his Foxes team-mate James Maddison.
Maddison, who has long been admired by the club's hierarchy is said to also be of interest to Spanish giants Real Madrid given his rise to stardom over the last few years. An integral part of Brendan Rodgers' squad, the English international has outlined his hopes of representing his nation at this year's World Cup but has suffered with lengthy spells on the sidelines during the 21/22 campaign.
Campbell, who spent seven years in north London, has however made a bold claim, insisting Mikel Arteta should direct his attention elsewhere given the Belgian's capabilities in midfield. “I think Youri Tielemans is the one they will be looking at,'' began the 52-year-old, as he spoke exclusively to FootballInsider.
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“I could be wrong on that but I think the ship has sailed with Maddison. We have Odegaard now so spending another £50 million on an attacking midfielder, I just don’t see it. Tielemans is a player Arsenal need, he has a different game to Maddison.
“I’m sure Arteta will see him as our type of player. For me, Tielemans is the one and I hope we can get that deal done in the summer.”
With it no secret the Gunners hopes to strengthen in a number of different positions later this year, Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves has also been eyed as a potential target, given his strong performances for Bruno Lage's side as of late.
The 25-year-old, who is also on the watchlist of both Manchester United and Real Madrid, has a contract in the West Midlands until the summer of 2024 with Wolves keen to extend his stay beyond next year.
