Liverpool will reportedly compete with Real Madrid in the race to sign Leicester City playmaker Youri Tielemans in 2023.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Juventus are set to battle it out for the signature of Leicester City playmaker Youri Tielemans in 2023.
The 25-year-old’s future at the King Power Stadium is up in the air since he will be out of contract at the end of the season. With no indication of a new contract being in the works, a number of prominent European teams appear to be circling in an attempt to get themselves a bargain.
Tielemans was the subject of interest from several Premier League clubs this past summer. Manchester United, Arsenal, and Newcastle United pursued him, but the Belgian international ultimately stayed with the Foxes.
Tielemans has scored 25 goals and registered 25 assists in 167 appearances for Leicester in all competitions since arriving from AS Monaco for a reported then-club-record fee of £40 million.
Brendan Rodgers’s side have made a rough start to the season. But Tielemans has still managed to show his qualities and has arguably been their second-best performer, only behind James Maddison. He was outstanding as Leicester thrashed Nottingham Forest 4-0 to register their first win of the season.
Tielemans’s contract situation means he will be free to negotiate pre-contract agreements with foreign clubs from January onwards. Some reports state he could be available for as little as £20 million in the winter transfer window.
Needless to say, there is no shortage of suitors vying for his signature despite his hefty wage demands. Manchester United, Arsenal, Juventus, and Newcastle are still reported to be interested in the Belgian international. And Calciomercato claims that Real Madrid and Liverpool have also jumped on the bandwagon of his suitors.
Real Madrid bolstered their midfield by signing Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga in recent transfer windows. But additional reinforcements have become necessary, with Luka Modric now 37 years old, Toni Kroos well into his thirties, and Casemiro no longer at the club. Tielemans is a cultured passer of the ball and will represent a younger option for Los Blancos. Also, he will unlikely to cost an arm and a leg.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are struggling to shut the back door this season and are missing their trademark high-press, high-intensity game. While their shoddy defence has come under heavy criticism from the mainstream media, their underperforming midfield has been unable to provide the necessary protection or close down the opposition playmaker in time.
Jude Bellingham appears to be their priority target for next year. But Liverpool might need more than one midfield signing in 2023, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita, and James Milner all out-of-contract next summer, and Arthur likely to return to Juventus. Tielemans, to that end, would be an excellent low-cost pick-up.
So the race to sign Tielemans heating up. And it will be interesting to see who will be able to get their hands on the Belgian international.
