Arsenal are close to agreeing a deal for Premier League midfielder Youri Tielemans of Leicester City.
The Gunners have been busy in the transfer market this summer, signing goalkeeper Matt Turner from the MLS, Brazilian youngster Marquinhos, Porto playmaker Fabio Vieira and Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus since the window opened.
Tielemans has long been linked with a move to the Gunners, too – and could well replace Granit Xhaka in the Arsenal midfield, should he sign. The Swiss national captain was last summer linked with an exit to Roma that never came to fruition but manager Mikel Arteta is believed to want a more natural fit in his 4-3-3 formation.
According to Ben Jacobs of CBS Sports(opens in new tab), however, personal terms have already been agreed with Tielemans. If true, all that would be needed to sign the Belgian midfielder would be an agreement of a transfer fee with Leicester City.
The 25-year-old originally moved to the Premier League in January of 2019 on loan from Monaco, though it’s believed that Arsenal were said to be interested in the player during his Anderlecht days. After a successful loan at the King Power Stadium, Tielemans made his move permanent for a fee of around £35 million.
Last season, the midfielder suffered a dip in form with the likes of James Maddison and newcomer Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall impressing a little more for the Foxes.
Leicester are unlikely to recoup the money that they spent on their then-record signing, given that his contract expires next summer. Arsenal were previously linked with a move for around £25m – but the Midlands side will probably look to boost that figure.
Recently, the player himself was rumoured to be interested in signing a one-year extension.
Tielemans is valued at around £49.5m by Transfermarkt.
