Arsenal in pole position to sign Liverpool target - Reports
According to The Mirror (via the Daily Express), Arsenal are in pole position to sign Leicester City midfielder and Liverpool target Youri Tielemans.
The outlet reports that the Gunners are likely to complete a deal at the end of the season when the Belgian's contract expires.
Tielemans is currently in great form for the Foxes, despite their worrying start to the 2022-23 campaign. The Belgian international has registered 13 appearances for the English outfit so far, recording two goals and an assist.
Youri Tielemans scored @LCFC's seventh goal from outside the box in the #PL this season, the most of any side 🚀
#WOLLEI https://t.co/T4FOOfDRrU
Tielemans was heavily linked with an exit from the King Power Stadium in the summer, with Arsenal and Liverpool on the list of clubs reportedly interested in signing him.
The Gunners have now received a boost in the race to sign the Belgian midfielder ahead of the Reds.
However, CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs believes that while Tielemans remains on their radar, the north London outfit will shift their focus towards reinforcing other areas on the pitch.
Speaking to Give Me Sport, he said:
"From Arsenal's point of view, Tielemans will be someone that will remain on their radar, but the midfield is ultimately looking pretty good at the moment.
"So, where are Arsenal looking to strengthen if they move in January? It's probably, from what I hear, more of a creative minded player that can play in wider areas, which is obviously why in the earlier part of the window they were looking for a player like Raphinha and they didn't get him, and Tielemans didn't quite fit that box."
Leicester find themselves in the relegation zone after a very poor run of games in the English top-flight. The Foxes are currently 18th in the league table, having won just three of their 13 Premier League encounters this term.
Leicester City boss reveals conversations with Tielemans over his future amid Arsenal and Liverpool links
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers has opened up about the conversations he had with Tielemans over his future amid links with the Gunners and Liverpool.
The Northern Irishman has stated that the club are not considering a sale at the moment, insisting that they don't want to offload their best players.
This potentially hinders any transfer plans to secure the Belgian's services that Liverpool or Arsenal may have.
Brendan Rodgers hopes Youri Tielemans will prolong stay with Leicester independent.co.uk/sport/football… https://t.co/AMt8ynnekv
Rodgers said (via the Liverpool Echo):
“It’s not something we are thinking of [selling Tielemans] and not anything the club have said we need to do. We don’t want to be offloading our best players, that’s for sure.
"So there has been no hint or indication we need to generate money and move him on. But, of course, there’s a business side to the club that they will look at."
“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."