Newcastle United are preparing to rival Arsenal for the signature of Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans this summer, according to reports.
The Foxes are set to lose the Belgium international as he has repeatedly refused to sign a contract extension, with his current deal at the King Power set to expire at the end of the season.
As a result, Tielemans will be available on a free transfer, so he will be a major bargain for whichever team comes out on top for his signature.
It has been widely reported that Arsenal are the big favourites to sign the 25-year-old,
Liverpool have also previously registered an interest in signing Tielemans, but reportedly ‘pulled out’ of negotiations after they decided to focus on alternative targets.
However, it now seems Newcastle could potentially scupper Mikel Arteta’s plans by beginning their own talks with the midfielder’s entourage.
This is according to Football Insider, who claim that the Magpies could potentially hijack Arsenal’s pursuit of Tielemans.
Their report adds that the Belgian’s contract demands are ‘high,’ but that shouldn’t be a problem for Newcastle or the Gunners with the Premier League rivals expected to have plenty of money to spend this summer.
Newcastle have been absolutely flying under Eddie Howe this season, currently sitting in third place in the Premier League table and in with a great chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
While the performances of midfielders such as Joelinton, Sean Longstaff and Bruno Guimaraes have been key to the Tynesider’s success, Howe is still reportedly keen to bolster that area this summer.
With that in mind, Tielemans could potentially be the ideal cut-price candidate to provide cover in the middle of the park for Newcastle, but as mentioned, Arsenal will also do everything they can to get a deal over the line.
Since joining Leicester for approximately £40m in 2019, the Belgian has undoubtedly been one of their most important players.
Overall, in 187 appearances for the Foxes, Tielemans has scored 28 goals and made 25 assists overall.
The midfielder played a key role in Leicester’s FA Cup-winning campaign under Brendan Rodgers in the 2020/21 season, scoring a stunning goal in the final against Chelsea which ultimately won his team the game.
Given Newcastle haven’t won a major trophy since 1955, Howe will no doubt be looking to sign players who can deliver in big games, and Tielemans certainly fits into that category.