Youri Tielemans is seemingly up for grabs this summer with Leicester City reportedly unable to convince him to sign a new deal at the King Power Stadium but Chelsea are not the only team who would be interested in signing the Belgian. Arsenal and Manchester United are keeping a keen eye on yet another Chelsea target as they look to revamp their own midfield this summer.
Tielemans has, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, turned down a new contract and with just 18 months left on his current deal will almost certainly be let go ahead of the 2022/23 campaign. The Belgian knows that he is hot property in the market right now and he is looking for a change while in his pomp. In other words, he is looking for a team that can challenge for a league title.
The Belgian could do far worse than to follow in the footsteps of another Belgian legend in Eden Hazard and find a path towards the west side of London to realise his aspirations. He'll be a lot likelier to achieve them with Chelsea than with either of the Blues' fallen-giant rivals.
According to Belgian outlet, Het Nieuwsblad , the 24-year-old is ready to leave the club for a team that has ambitions to win the league. Arsenal and United are said to be joined by Liverpool, Juventus, and Real Madrid in the race to sign him.
Perhaps Liverpool and Real aside, it's difficult to imagine how any of the other clubs could have a more compelling selling to the 24-year-old than Chelsea . At the end of the summer transfer window, Chelsea’s interest in Tielemans appeared to grow significantly but they eventually settled for a loan option in Saul Niguez.
That has not been a deal that has worked out for any of the parties involved and is perhaps an indicator that Chelsea will need to seek permanent additions who can truly challenge in an area of the field that looks to be a key next stage of the Blues' squad build.
Declan Rice and Aurelien Tchouameni are the much-discussed names on the list of Chelsea targets but both will command big pricetags and United and Real are reported suitors of both respectively.
There’s no harm in Chelsea monitoring the situation as it all unfolds. The Blues have previously registered their interest in the former Anderlecht player. Some reports have suggested Jose Mourinho made clear advances to sign the then 17-year-old in 2015. Arsenal are long-term admirers and monitored his situation then too.
Seven years later, they are still interested in the Chelsea target. It wouldn’t be the first time that a Belgian international snubs Arsenal for the Pride of London. Eden Hazard set the trend in 2012, when he was closely linked with a move to Arsene Wenger’s side but publicly announced that he’d like to sign with the “Champions of Europe.”
History suggests that another Belgian player should be on Chelsea's radar. Recently crowned the Champions of Europe, it’s only right to replicate a move for a young Belgian talent and put a spanner in the works for Arsenal. They are desperate for central midfield reinforcements and with Tielemans' agents said to have spoken to Arsenal in January, a summer hijack could benefit Chelsea and keep the Gunners at arm's length.
Tielemans showed Chelsea fans a taste of what he's all about with a Wembley winner last season to stun the Blues in the FA Cup final with a man- of-the-match display and having passed his audition, Chelsea have an opportunity to prise an elite talent from elsewhere in the Premier League and make him a key part of their squad.
Competition will be fierce and Arsenal would appear to be frontrunners but Chelsea have previous for wrecking the Gunners' summer transfer strategy and can repeat that hijack again.
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