Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans reportedly “wants” to join Arsenal and he will sign for the London club “if they move” for him.
It was expected that Tielemans would leave Leicester City in the summer as he entered the final year of his contract.
The Foxes were begrudgingly willing to let this happen with them demanding around £30m before his value starts to decline.
Arsenal are known to admire Tielemans but they decided against making a move for him before the summer transfer window closed.
The Gunners could instead be playing a waiting game with it reportedly clear that Tielemans does not intend to pen a contract extension.
Despite this, Tielemans has performed well for Leicester in recent weeks and he has been their captain for four straight Premier League games.
Arsenal also targeted Douglas Luiz in the summer. The Aston Villa man also looked set to be out of contract next summer but a transfer now appears to be off the table as he has signed fresh terms.
As for Tielemans, CBS journalist Ben Jacobs has suggested that the pursuit for him is “all about what Arsenal want”.
“It’s an intriguing one because they’ve put in a lot of work for Tielemans,” Jacobs told GiveMeSport.
“They know that Tielemans wants Arsenal, so this is not the type of transfer where Arsenal have to worry about player buying. If they move for Tielemans, then Tielemans will join Arsenal.
“But it’s all about what Arsenal want, what’s right for their chemistry and dynamic mid-season, if we’re talking about January.
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“Their interest has never gone away. It’s one to watch because he’s in good form now for Leicester and he’s a goalscorer.”
Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers has been under-fire this season but he has been quick to praise Tielemans for not letting the rumours “affect him”.
“We have a number of players out of contract come the end of the season,” Rodgers said.
“My focus has been on working with him and getting out of the situation we are in. So everything else is not really spoken about from my perspective.”
Rodgers added: “We had a number of long chats in the summer.
“There is clearly no doubt even a young guy who is focused like Youri and very professional, it can have an impact.
“But he has been fully focused. He doesn’t let that affect him. He is a top-class professional, he sees the game how I see it.
“On the field, he understands what is happening within the game and that’s all he can do – give his very best – and his recent performances have been excellent.”
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