Barcelona and Liverpool are reportedly considering a move to sign Youri Tielemans from Leicester City in the summer transfer window.
According to a report by Italian outlet Calciomercato, Leicester City are keen to tie Youri Tielemans down to a new long-term contract. The Foxes, though, will need to get through to the 24-year-old playmaker quickly, as Barcelona and Liverpool are keen on signing him in the summer transfer window.
Tielemans arrived at Leicester City from AS Monaco in January 2019 and has since gone on to establish himself as one of the best midfielders on show in the Premier League. Initially signed on loan by the Foxes, the move was made permanent in the subsequent summer and the Belgian international has become an integral member of Brendan Rodgers’ squad in this time.
Till date, Tielemans has turned out 107 times for Leicester, chipping with an impressive tally of 17 goals and 19 assists as well. In fact, such has been his impact at the King Power Stadium that the former Premier League champions are keen to tie the 24-year-old playmaker down to a brand new deal. In the meantime, the player is also attracting interest from Barcelona and Liverpool.
Barcelona are in the middle of a transitional period that is set to continue this summer in the form of a squad overhaul. As part of the said overhaul, midfield is set to be revamped, what with Riqui Puig struggling to get a look-in, Philippe Coutinho being deemed surplus to requirements, Miralem Pjanic failing to leave his mark this season and Sergio Busquets not getting any younger.
To that end, Barcelona have been linked with a number of midfielders, including Jorginho, Ryan Gravenberch and a few others, with Tielemans a viable target as well for the Blaugrana. Liverpool, on the other hand, are scouring for a replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum, whose contract is set to run out this coming summer.
The Dutch international, who has coincidentally been linked with Barcelona, is expected to call it quits at Anfield this summer. With Curtis Jones’ development being rather slow, Jurgen Klopp could do with a central midfielder, especially considering Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are mere squad options in the Liverpool first-team setup.
As a result, Liverpool have considered a number of options to bolster their midfield, including Inter Milan playmaker Nicolo Barella, among others. And, Tielemans is an option worth keeping an out for as well, although Leicester are likely to be reluctant to sell to a direct Premier League rival, which could put Barcelona in a better position to secure his services.
Having said that, Leicester will hope to secure the long-term future of the 24-year-old midfielder, with talks slated to happen post the end of the season. What now remains to be seen is if Barcelona or Liverpool can do anything to turn Tielemans’s head or if he stays put at the King Power Stadium.