Manchester City had yet another phenomenal year, winning the Premier League by a slender margin ahead of Liverpool. City have looked unbeatable for a majority of the season, but despite that, it looks like Pep Guardiola and co. will look to add more players to their squad in the summer.
The Premier League champions are have been linked with AS Monaco’s Youri Tielemans, who played the second half of the 2018-19 season at Leicester City and impressed.
According to the Sun, the Sky Blues will test Monaco and Leicester City’s resolve with a £40 million bid.
Leicester want to sign the young Belgian on a permanent deal, but with interest from Manchester City as well as Manchester United, Brendan Rodgers may have lost out on the midfield ace.
Tielemans signed for AS Monaco from Anderlecht for €25 million in the 2017-18 season, but after just one and a half seasons with the club, he was sent on loan to Leicester, and is now set to leave Monaco on a permanent deal.
The midfielder played 13 times for the Foxes in the Premier League after joining them on loan in the January transfer window, and registered 3 goals and 4 assists.
Tielemans has already featured 21 times for the Belgian national side since debuting in 2016.
How will Youri Tielemans fit in at Manchester City?
Tielemans is a fantastic passer of the ball from midfield, and is also adept at shooting from distance. The Belgian can control the game from midfield, with his composure and distribution, with the central midfield role being his favoured position.
Fernandinho is 34 years of age, and Manchester City need to find a replacement for him soon, and although he may not play as deep as the Brazilian, Tielemans has shown that he can be a player who can make a team tick from the centre of the park.
Tielemans will probably be a substitute who can make an impact off the bench or replace Fernandinho in Cup games or in Europe. Recent reports have stated that David Silva could be leaving Manchester City, so makes perfect sense to sign a player like Tielemans, who can be the link between midfield and attack, and play in the attackers with clever passes.
With Fabian Delph also set to leave, Manchester City need to strengthen their midfield as they currently only have Fernandinho, Ilkay Gundogan, and youngster Phil Foden to call upon in midfield. Tielemans could be groomed to become a key player in the City midfield for years to come.