Youri Tielemans' future has taken a fresh twist after Leicester City chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha confirmed the club have not received any offers for the player.
The 25-year-old has been linked with a move to Arsenal and Manchester United this summer but may be set to stay at the Foxes for the 2022/23 season. Tielemans has one year left on his current deal and does not look like signing a new deal anytime soon, with the midfielder ready to run his contract down and could leave on a free next year.
Srivaddhanaprabha said: "It's nothing. There haven't been any offers yet. There hasn't been anything concrete or a proposition yet."
This could become a nightmare for Tielemans, who is keen to leave the Foxes in the transfer window after three and a half years with the club. He joined Leicester on loan from Monaco in January 2019, before making the move permanent six months later after an impressive stint where he scored three goals and five assists.
The Belgian international would go on to score the winning goal in the 2021 FA Cup final with a thunderbolt against Chelsea, and also netted a further two times during that infamous run to Wembley. Speculation was initially raised about Tielemans' Leicester future that summer, but he ended up staying at the Foxes ahead of their second successive Europa League campaign.
Leicester struggled with the demands of playing European football and it had a major effect on their Premier League position as they finished eighth, missing out on Europe completely. Even if they had finished in the Europa League or the Europa Conference League, Tielemans was always focused on a move away.
Back in March, Tielemans admitted to Het Laatste Nieuws that he would like to play in the Champions League. He said: "I don't worry about it [speculation].
"I want to get the most out of myself this season and finish as high as possible with the team. Of course, I want to play in the Champions League, just like any footballer. Am I ready for a European top club? I'm ready to get the best out of my career. We'll see what happens next summer, or the summer after that."
Arsenal were all but set to finish fourth, before Tottenham Hotspur pipped them on the final day to qualify for the Champions League. Tielemans was reportedly expecting an offer from the Gunners despite missing out on Europe's elite competition, but Mikel Arteta's side have had more pressing targets, while United have also strengthened in other areas first including in defence.
Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have been touted with a move for Tielemans but nothing has come of those links. Liverpool also reportedly rejected the opportunity to sign him earlier in the window as Jurgen Klopp patiently waits to strengthen his midfield.
What now for Tielemans? The talented Belgian is stuck in a rut with his club future firmly in doubt. He returned to pre-season training on July 11 and has since featured in friendlies against OH Leuven, Hull City and Derby County.
Leicester took part in two matches on Saturday, with what was dubbed as the 'first XI' being sent to Championship side Preston, while the other played League One Derby at Pride Park. Interestingly, Tielemans was not part of the team that travelled to Deepdale alongside James Maddison, Wesley Fofana, Harvey Barnes and Jamie Vardy.
Instead, Tielemans featured in a team with the likes of Jannick Vestegaard, Dennis Praet and Daniel Amartey - all of which have been linked with a move away from the King Power Stadium. This could be a telling fact behind where Brendan Rodgers stands on the situation, with Tielemans yet to make his mind up on his future.
The Foxes have a contract offer on the table and hope to convince Tielemans to sign it, with the midfielder entering into the final 12 months of his deal. That is one of the options he has at his disposal and there is no doubt he is loved amongst the Leicester faithful, given the contributions he has made over the past couple of seasons.
With just over a month to go until the end of the transfer window, Tielemans could continue to wait for an offer to come about from either Arsenal or United, for example, or just sign a new contract and continue his work with the Foxes. Following an impressive start to pre-season from Praet and Boubakary Soumare, Tielemans may even not find himself in the starting XI for the Foxes' opening day game against Brentford on August 7.
This would be a disaster for Tielemans as he could find himself with a lack of first-team game time and minutes under his belt if he does secure a switch away come the end of August. Then, he is playing catch-up ahead of the World Cup in November. It is going to be an interesting few weeks ahead for Tielemans, with his future still up in the air.
