Youri Tielemans' Leicester City future is in doubt and the midfielder could leave the Foxes during the January transfer window.
The 25-year-old faces an uncertain future at the King Power Stadium with his contract expiring next summer. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are among the clubs interested in the Belgium international, as well as La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Arsenal's interest in Tielemans has been known for a while and the Gunners were heavily linked with making a move for the Premier League star last summer. It's previously been reported that Tielemans is keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium, however, football.london reported in the summer, before the transfer window closed, that Arsenal were prepared to wait until Tielemans’ current contract expires to secure the 25-year-old on a free transfer.
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There has been interest from the likes of Newcastle United and Manchester United for Tielemans, but the Gunners have had an agreement with the player in place for some time and are confident of tying him down to a contract next summer, when he will be available for free.
However, the Gunners may be forced to act in January if they want to sign the Leicester star as Chelsea have now entered the race to sign him, according to CBS journalist Ben Jacobs. According to Jacobs, Chelsea may have to sign him for a fee in January to fend off competition from Real Madrid and Barcelona, who could tie him down to a pre-contract agreement next month.
It's reported Graham Potter's side have not made a concrete offer for Tielemans yet, but that could change in the coming weeks. The Blues face a midfield revamp in the coming windows with both N'Golo Kante and Jorginho's contracts expiring next summer.
Tielemans' previous comments about his future may provide a hint as to which club he will join in January or next summer. Speaking in September, the 25-year-old said: "I'm not going to speak too much about my contract situation at the moment. My family is very happy there, and that's important.
"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."
Of course, it remains to be seen whether Tielemans leaves Leicester City in January. But if Arsenal and Chelsea are serious about their interest, they may have to act sooner rather than later.
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