Juventus have reportedly opened talks with Anderlecht to sign highly-rated midfielder Youri Tielemans in the summer
Turin-based outlet ilBianconero have reported that Juventus have established contact with Anderlecht over a possible summer move for Youri Tielemans. The Belgian midfielder is also being tracked by the likes of AS Roma, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
Tielemans has emerged as one of the most exciting young prospects in Europe, having risen through the ranks at Anderlecht. He became the youngest Belgian to play a Champions League game in 2013, and his stock has only continued to rise since then.
In almost four years since making his senior debut for his boyhood club, Tielemans has already racked up more than 150 first team appearances – big numbers for a player still in his teens. 40 of those games have come this season, with Tielemans bagging 17 goals and 10 assists in those matches.
Having already made his international debut, the teenager is being primed to achieve great things in his career, and some of the biggest clubs across Europe have had him scouted in recent seasons. However, Arsenal, Tottenham and AS Roma have shown the most concrete of interest in Tielemans.
Tielemans can play across midfield, and with the likes of Granit Xhaka, Francis Coquelin, Mohamed Elneny and Aaron Ramsey all frustrating with their inconsistencies, coupled with the fitness issues troubling Santi Cazorla, the Belgian wonderkid could just be the long-term solution in the centre of the park for Arsenal.
Meanwhile, at Tottenham, Mauricio Pochettino has shown a penchant towards working with talented youngsters, and with the Argentine tactician interested in bolstering his options ahead of next season, Tielemans is a viable option for the Spurs boss to consider.
AS Roma are also reported to be in the hunt for Tielemans and are plotting a summer move for the 19-year-old. Radja Nainggolan heavily linked with a move away from Stadio Olimpico and Daniele De Rossi on the wrong side of 30.
Thus, central midfield is being given a priority for the summer and Tielemans is believed to have been identified as a target.
However, the three clubs have now been joined by Juventus in pursuit of Tielemans, with the Serie A leaders opening talks with Anderlecht over a summer move. The Bianconeri are long-time admirers of the youngster and are now ready to make a concrete offer for him.
There are fears that Sami Khedira could soon be leaving the club, while midfield lynchpin Claudio Marchisio has been troubled by injuries lately. Thus, Massimiliano Allegri is eyeing central midfield options for the summer, and representatives from Juventues will be meeting their Anderlecht counterparts in the next few weeks.
Anderlecht could place a price tag in the region of €20-25 million on Tielemans’ head and the valuation should not be an issue for any of the clubs that have been linked with him, especially with the player’s talent being in no doubt.
Tielemans himself has admitted that he could leave Anderlecht at the end of the season and as he heads closer to a move to a bigger club, it remains to be seen how things develop in the summer.
