Barcelona fear 25-year-old target has agreed to join Premier League giants: Reports
Barcelona are reportedly of the opinion that Leicester City ace Youri Tielemans has already reached a personal agreement with Arsenal.
Tielemans, 25, has been a crucial starter for the Foxes since arriving from Monaco for £35 million in the summer of 2019. He has attained cult hero status at the King Power Stadium after helping the club lift the 2021 FA Cup trophy by scoring the winner in the final.
A right-footed midfielder blessed with passing and shooting, the Belgian has been rumored to depart his club since the start of the summer transfer window. Despite links with Arsenal and Liverpool, he decided to stay put.
So far, Tielemans has netted three goals and contributed one assist in 17 overall appearances for Leicester this campaign.
According to MARCA, Barcelona have been dealt a blow in their transfer pursuit of Tielemans. The Catalan giants currently suspect that the player has already given his word to another team, such as Arsenal.
The Gunners, who failed to rope in Tielemans over transfer fee differences earlier this summer, are considered the front-runners in the race for the former Anderlecht man. The Mikel Arteta-coached side have already contacted the Belgian about a potential switch, as per SPORT.
Tielemans, who is in the final year of his contract at the King Power Stadium, was a part of Belgium's 2022 FIFA World Cup squad. He featured in three group-stage games, starting only once in the process.
Overall, Tielemans has registered 27 goals and 25 assists in 175 matches across all competitions for the Brendan Rodgers-coached outfit.
Youri Tielemans with a SCREAMER 🚀
One of the great #FACupFinal goals! 😍🔥
https://t.co/tuKfCmWRss
Barcelona, on the other hand, have also been linked with other top midfielders in Europe in their mission to replace Sergio Busquets. Wolverhampton Wanderers' Ruben Neves, Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi and Chelsea's Jorginho are currently on their transfer radar.
Barcelona interested in signing 28-year-old Premier League defender: Reports
As per SPORT, Barcelona are eyeing Manchester City centre-back Aymeric Laporte for January next year to fill the void left after the retirement of club legend Gerard Pique.
The Blaugrana were initially keen to sign Athletic Bilbao defender Inigo Martinez on a free transfer next summer. However, Laporte has popped up on the top of their transfer wishlist due to his favorable age.
Laporte, 28, has been a successful defender for Manchester City since his arrival from Athletic Bilbao for £57 million in the winter of 2018. He has contributed 12 goals and four assists in 163 overall matches for his current club, lifting a total of 11 trophies in the process.