FC Barcelona will reportedly move for Leicester City star and rumoured Arsenal target Youri Tielemans if they fail to sign Ilkay Gundogan, with the Manchester City maestro Xavi Hernandez’s main target for the January window.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the La Liga giants are eager to sign the German international with Gundogan’s contract set to expire in 2023, with Barcelona eyeing either a cheap deal in January or a free in the summer. However, should the midfielder remain with City, Tielemans is being lined up as a plan B.
The Leicester star is in a similar situation to Gundogan as in the midfielder’s contract is due to expire at the end of this season. However, unlike his City rival, Tielemans looks all but certain to leave the Foxes in 2023, with January potentially the best window for Brendan Rodgers to offload the Belgian.
According to the Mirror, though, Arsenal are the ones leading the race for Tielemans, with the £25m-rated Leicester star a key target for Mikel Arteta as the Premier League leaders look to strengthen in January. However, Barcelona’s interest could cause some issues for the north London side.
Moreover, with Tielemans expected to start for Belgium in next week’s 2022 FIFA World Cup, the midfielder could make himself quite the transfer target for Barcelona side with a strong showing out in Qatar, which will be the last thing Arsenal want in their quest to sign the Leicester star.
Indeed, whilst Arsenal might still consider themselves favourites to sign Tielemans, Barcelona’s latest stance on the midfielder could cause some issues. And for Arteta, he will be hopeful that Xavi is successful in his quest to sign Gundogan from City in the January window.
Barcelona signing Tielemans will be a sucker-punch for Arsenal
Midfield is clearly a position both Arsenal and Barcelona are keen on adding to in the January window, and should the Catalan side sign Tielemans, it would be quite the blow for the Gunners given how long they have been linked with the 25-year-old Premier League star.
Whilst Arsenal will have other options on their shortlist, the north London side would have wanted Tielemans given his quality and experience in England, with the Belgian a perfect option to add to the likes of Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard in the midfield ranks.
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