World Cup glory could send Tielemans to Arsenal or Man Utd in January

Robin Bairner

• 18 Nov 2022 15:18 GMT
• 10 min read

Youri Tielemans’ future appears to be away from Leicester City, but the Foxes could yet profit from a sale of the Belgium international midfielder, particularly if he has a strong World Cup.

Tielemans has been on the shortlist of many leading clubs in recent months. In particular, Premier League leaders Arsenal and third-placed Newcastle have both been linked with the former Monaco star, while he has also been linked with a possible move to Manchester United after missing out on Frenkie de Jong.

One of the driving forces behind their interest, beyond the obvious qualities of the 25-year-old, is that he is heading for free agency in 2023. His contract is up in the summer and there appears to be little prospect of a new deal.

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Transfer insider Ben Jacobs believes that Tielemans could really come to the fore of the January transfer market if he continues his bright Leicester form with Belgium in Qatar 2022.

“Tielemans has got a real opportunity to put himself in the shop window with a good World Cup,” he told FootballTransfers.

“Unlike perhaps James Maddison, who will have offers but is not driving his way out of the club, Youri Tielemans at the moment, even if he’s not being aggressive like Wesley Fofana was in trying to force his way out of the club, is driving himself out of the club by keeping himself on the market. The way he’s doing that is by not signing a new deal at Leicester. That will allow someone to come in and get him on a free transfer in the summer. That might well be Arsenal but there are lots of other clubs circling.

“What Leicester might be hoping if Tielemans is not going to sign a new deal is that the World Cup escalates the situation and means that somebody says: ‘Why not now?’ Why not put some money down and tempt Leicester, knowing that unless he signs a new deal, he’s going to go on a free transfer.”

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Youri Tielemans v Premier League midfielders 2022/23: Passing

Tielemans represents a glorious opportunity for a club to sign in January. His FootballTransfers valuation is €50m – a high figure given the length of time remaining on his contract – and it is likely he could be picked up for a fraction of that price.

This season, he has contributed three goals and one assist to Leicester in 15 Premier League appearances.