Leicester City could reportedly now be willing to let Youri Tielemans leave in January for £20m, with Arsenal and Newcastle United interested in signing the Belgian international.
90min claim that the Foxes are willing to cut their losses with Tielemans with the 25-year-old’s contract set to expire next summer, with the report stating that Leicester could accept a bid of less than £20m should Arsenal or Newcastle move to sign the Premier League star.
The update could come as a relief for the likes of Arsenal and Newcastle. The Sun had previously reported that Leicester would only sell Tielemans for £50m even with the midfielder’s current contract situation as it is, and this latest news could push either side to make a bid in the January window.
Mikel Arteta’s side chased Tielemans for the majority of the summer, though even with injuries to Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny severally depleting Arsenal’s midfield options, Arsenal chose to push through with their interest in the former AS Monaco star.
As for Newcastle, the Magpies now feel like the favourites to sign Tielemans given the club’s need for an extra midfielder in January and how enticing the project under Eddie Howe could be for the Leicester star, even if European football might not be on the cards with the Toon for a few years.
With Newcastle looking to also sign James Maddison from Leicester, Tielemans could well join his Foxes teammate to the northeast if the Magpies make an offer for the Belgium maestro, and landing the midfielder for £20m or less would be quite the steal from Howe.
Newcastle could win the January window if they sign Tielemans for cheap
Tielemans’ contract situation means that Leicester could be forced into a position where they have to sell the midfielder for way below his market value. Yet for Newcastle, bringing in a Premier League superstar at 25-year-old for just £20m will be a steal and a move that will make their rivals jealous.
After all, Newcastle have worked smartly in the market since their PIF takeover, and signing Tielemans will only be the club’s latest shrewd piece of business that will greatly improve their squad for many years to come, much to the dismay of Arsenal.
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