Barcelona suffer transfer blow with target Arsenal-bound

Cameron Smith

• 11 Nov 2022 16:28 GMT
• 3 min read

Barcelona's hopes of strengthening their midfielder by signing Leicester City's Youri Tielemans have been dashed by reports that he's agreed to join Arsenal next season.

Tielemans, 25, was heavily linked with a move to the Gunners this summer, but ended up staying put at The King Power Stadium instead.

However, his current deal with the Foxes is due to expire in 2023, meaning he'll be available on a free transfer next summer and is free to begin negotiations with clubs in January.

READ: Xavi interested in bringing Youri Tielemans to Barcelona

Barcelona is a potential destination for Tielemans, with the Blaugrana still keen to utilise the free transfer market due to the financial strains they currently face and Tielemans reportedly viewed as a transfer target.

But, it appears that Arsenal are in pole position to sign the Belgian international, with Voetbal Primeur reporting that Tielemans has an agreement in place to join Arsenal in 2023.

This news has harmed Barcelona's chances of signing Tielemans, as well as Newcastle United and Manchester United's chances, both of whom were also in the race to sign the 25-year-old.

READ: How Tielemans could bring De Jong to Man Utd in January

Tielemans is expected to leave Leicester next summer, with a contract renewal seemingly unlikely to happen, but it appears that Arsenal is the most likely destination for him, with the Gunners ready to finally land the former AS Monaco star. Tielemans is expected to provide competition for Granit Xhaka in the Arsenal midfield.

Barcelona's other targets

While the Blaugrana are unlikely to sign Tielemans thanks to his agreement to join Arsenal, there are interested in two fellow Premier League central midfielders.

Chelsea duo Jorginho and N'Golo Kante are both reportedly being monitored by the Camp Nou side, with Barca keen to refresh their midfield with new options.

Man Utd target Frenkie de Jong remains at the club, but it's not yet known how long he will stay put, while Sergio Busquets is approaching the end of his career.

But, Tielemans is unlikely to be the fix, so Barcelona will need to pursue other options in midfield.