Reports suggest that Tottenham Hotspur could be the destination for one of the most sought after players in world football.
If you are on the lookout for a star of the future, which progressive, forward-thinking Tottenham Hotspur usually are, then Belgium should be your first stop on a whistle-stop European search.
After all, Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois all made their name in their homeland while most teenagers their age were tackling their GCSEs.
And, for a number of seasons, Anderlecht midfielder Youri Tielemans has been heavily tipped to follow in their esteemed footsteps. First, as reported by Het Nieuwsblad, to the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur for £18.75 million. And then to the top of the European game.
Making his professional debut not long after his 16th birthday, Tielemans has now racked up well over 150 appearances in the Anderlecht first-team with his refusal to consider any big-money offers from established European giants benefitting his long-term development.
For a 19-year-old, he certainly has a sensible head on his shoulders.
And that cannot be easy, especially when such legends of the club are showering him with praise.
“He is a phenomenon. There are not many players better than him,” Par Zetterberg, who won five Belgian titles in two spells with Anderlecht, said in quotes reported by Sky Sports.
“He has a capacity to organise and to see the play,” Anderlecht team-mate and close friend Fabrice N’Sakala told Goal. “He’s a No.8 who can dictate the flow of the game and who has a shot that allows him to score some great goals.
“He has everything a modern midfielder should have. He’s complete. If he continues like he is today, he can go really far.”
And where better place to fulfil such extraordinary potential than on the Tottenham Hotspur training pitch?
Mauricio Pochettino has already moulded Harry Kane, Moussa Dembele, Toby Alderweireld, Kyle Walker and Danny Rose into some of the very best around in their position, so White Hart Lane would be both a logical and intriguing next step for arguably the most exciting teenager in Europe.
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