Arsenal step up interest in Youri Tielemans

Arsenal are reportedly keen to add another feather to their cap this summer by signing 25-year-old Leicester City playmaker Youri Tielemans.

According to 90 min, Premier League giants Arsenal are keen to step up their interest in Leicester City playmaker Youri Tielemans in the ongoing transfer window.

The Belgian international is among the best playmakers in the Premier League and is a regular for Brendan Rodgers’s side. Tielemans led the Foxes to their maiden FA Cup win in 2020/21 and is a dynamic presence in the midfield on his day.

The 25-year-old’s contract at the King Power Stadium expires in 2023, and he is yet to pen a fresh deal that will ensure his stay at the club. This has seen him get linked with a summer move to several clubs, including Arsenal.

The Gunners are smarting from a poor end to the 2021/22 campaign that effectively saw them throw away a fourth-placed finish. Arsenal are keen to resume their fight for UEFA Champions League football next season and have made several promising signings.

Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira were astute acquisitions by Arsenal, while a move for Manchester City utility man Oleksandr Zinchenko is also as good as done. Adding Tielemans to the mix will hand Arteta yet another player he can rely on in the middle of the pitch.

An excellent passer of the ball, Tielemans has the ability to unlock opposition defences. This augurs well for a team that is looking to play exciting football. Having served as Pep Guardiola’s understudy at the Etihad, Arteta will be aware of the impact a playmaker can make to a side that adopts possession-based football.

Tielemans is not a Kevin De Bruyne but can have a similar impact as his countryman in the English top flight. More so, the 25-year-old is also a capable goalscorer and has a mean shot in his armoury. To state that he would add dynamism to an Arsenal side that lacks inspiration at times would be an understatement.

While Tielemans is a world beater on his day, he also has the ability to go missing in games. In fact, the lack of a regular run of good performances is something Arsenal should keep an eye on. But then, given that Arsenal themselves put in Jekyll and Hyde performances, Tielemans could fit in well at the Emirates.

The Gunners could land the 25-year-old on a cut-price deal this summer but Leicester believe that the Belgian will stick around for another season before departing for free. Time will tell whether Arsenal will go all out this summer or play the waiting game.