Youri Tielemans to Arsenal: Late transfer only possible on one condition
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 1 Sept 2022 13:26 BST
- 3 min read
Arsenal have made no late approach for Leicester midfielder Youri Tielemans, FootballTransfers can confirm, and hopes of a deal are fading fast.
The Gunners have been linked with the Belgium international midfielder for the duration of this window but never made an approach for the 25-year-old.
Indeed, Arsenal have not moved for another central midfielder, despite also being linked with Lyon’s Lucas Paqueta, who ultimately made the move to West Ham instead.
Meanwhile, there is only one scenario that could lead to Tielemans making a move to the Emirates Stadium this summer: if a rival club makes an approach first.
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Talks were held
FootballTransfers understands that there were discussions between the clubs at an earlier point in the window but Arsenal ultimately made no bid for Tielemans.
There was simply too great a gap in the valuation of the player, who is entering the last year of his contract and could leave in the summer of 2023 for nothing.
The clubs did discuss a possible price structure for a transfer, with Arsenal willing to go as high as £23 million for Tielemans. Leicester, though, were unwilling to drop their asking price below £35m for a player who has been integral to their squad in recent years.
Further complicating the deal has been Wesley Fofana’s big-money move to Chelsea, which has left the Foxes in a stronger financial position. Additionally, Leicester did not want to lose the French centre-back, so if Tielemans had also departed late in the window without a suitable replacement being found, it would have been seen as an enormous blow to their season.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have made an excellent start to the campaign and sit at the top of the league with four wins from four match. Underpinning this effort has been Granit Xhaka in the centre of midfield. He had been a player earmarked for a possible move at the start of the summer, but his bright form in August effectively ended doubts over his future.
The odds of Tielemans moving to Arsenal, then, are getting bigger and bigger, and the deal may only happen if another club comes in for the player and prompts the Gunners to move. As it stands, this transfer saga is likely to rumble on until January or possibly even next summer.
