Newcastle United want to sign Youri Tielemans from Leicester City, but Arsenal are reportedly leading the race for the Belgian midfielder.
That is according to the Mirror, who believe that the Gunners are in pole position to secure his signature in January.
Tielemans is set to be a man in demand given his contract situation. His current Leicester deal, worth £120,000-a-week, expires in the summer of 2023. That means he should be available for a cut price fee when the transfer window opens at the start of next year.
He has been linked with a move to Newcastle, who also considered signing him in the summer. However, he remained at the King Power.
It has since been claimed that the Magpies will make a January bid for the 25-year-old, and that he could be available for less than £20million.
That would make him a real bargain, but it appears as though the Emirates is his most likely destination right now.
Difficult for Newcastle to beat Arsenal in the race to sign Tielemans
Tielemans would be an absolutely sensational signing by Newcastle. Our midfield is performing very well at the moment, and he would make it even better.
In the words of his former teammate Wes Morgan, Tielemans is a ‘special‘ player, and the kind of talent the Toon owners want at St James’ Park.
However, with Arsenal leading the race to sign him, it looks increasingly unlikely that he will end up at St James’ Park.
While Eddie Howe’s side are enjoying a brilliant season, Mikel Arteta’s men are doing even better. They are genuine title contenders, and are certainly on course to return to the Champions League.
That is the competition Tielemans will want to be playing in. While Newcastle are in the top four right now, it will still be incredibly difficult for us to qualify for Europe’s elite tournament.
Plus, a move to Arsenal would give Tielemans the luxury of living in London, which is incredibly important to the likes of Richard Keys and Gabby Agbonlahor…
It’s difficult to see how Newcastle can land Tielemans ahead of Arsenal. While we are a club on the up, so are Arsenal. The Emirates is a great place to play football at the moment.
So is St James’ Park, but it would be a surprise if Tielemans opted to move to Tyneside. Luckily, there are other midfield targets out there for Howe to explore.