FC Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing Leicester City star Youri Tielemans to replace club legend Sergio Busquets, with Arsenal also chasing the Belgian international.
According to Marca, the La Liga giants are keen to make a move for the 25-year-old midfielder with Busquets set to leave Barcelona at the end of this season, with Tielemans’ contract with Leicester set to expire next summer as many big-name clubs look to sign the Foxes maestro.
Fabrizio Romano has recently stated that Tielemans would be open to a move to Arsenal, who have long been viewed as the favourites to sign the 2022 FIFA World Cup star in January. However, injury to Gabriel Jesus could now change Mikel Arteta’s transfer plans.
Brazilian media have claimed this week that the 25-year-old striker could be out for as long as three months, which if proven true will likely see Arsenal change tact from signing a midfielder to a replacement for Jesus. And for Barcelona, this could be massive in their quest to sign Tielemans.
Replacing a club legend like Busquets will be no easy task for Xavi Hernandez’s side next summer. Yet Tielemans could be up for the challenge, even if the Leicester midfielder’s CV compared to the 142-cap Spanish international is nowhere near as illustrious.
Indeed, Arsenal have been linked with Tielemans for the majority of 2022. Yet there’s now a real risk that the Gunners can drop their interest in signing the midfielder following Jesus’ injury, with a replacement for the Brazilian seemingly more important than adding competition for the likes of Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey.
Barcelona could have free shot at signing Tielemans in January
Jesus’ potential three-month injury could have massive ramifications for Arsenal in the January window. Yet for Barcelona, they could soon find themselves having a free shot at signing the £25m-rated Tielemans, who will be crazy to turn down a move to the Camp Nou.
Replacing Busquets is one of the hardest tasks in football. Yet for a player like Tielemans, the challenge will be as enticing as it is daunting, with Arsenal on the path to missing out on the midfielder if the Gunners do in fact change strategy in January.
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