Former Manchester United midfielder Kleberson has urged Leicester City star Youri Tielemans to snub interest from his old club and Liverpool and instead join Chelsea.
Youri Tielemans’ current deal at Leicester City runs out in 2023 and it is understood that he won’t be signing an extension amidst interest from some of Premier League’s top clubs. The Belgian has been on Manchester United’s radar for some time now while Liverpool have also been strongly linked with his services.
Speaking to Paddy Power (h/t The Daily Express), ex-Brazilian international Kleberson expects Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans to favour a move to Chelsea ahead of Manchester United and Liverpool in the summer.
Tielemans, 24, has gone from strength to strength since joining Leicester City from AS Monaco in the summer of 2019. In nearly three years, the Belgian international has become a key figure for club and country.
He has established himself among the most consistent players in the Premier League, thereby, attracting a lot of attention from some of England’s biggest clubs. However, with just 18 months left on his contract, Leicester City are now running out of time to try and convince him to sign an extension.
Kleberson wants Tielemans to join Chelsea—The right option for the Blues?
Chelsea have one of the best squads in the English top-flight and manager Thomas Tuchel has used it expertly ever since arriving at the club last January. That being said, there are a few holes that need sorting out for the Blues to realistically challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title next season.
One of those is the midfield unit, with N’Golo Kante and Jorginho not getting any younger and increasingly becoming injury prone. Ross Barkley is out of favour under Tuchel and is likely to leave the club at the end of the season while Ruben Loftus-Cheek may have to move on from his boyhood club to become a regular starter.
This is perhaps why the Pensioners have been urged to make a move for Youri Tielemans. He is widely regarded as one of the best all-round central midfielders in the Premier League, often receiving plaudits for his incisive passing, defensive work rate and ability to score goals.
The Belgian had a terrific 2020-21 season, where he featured in every single league game and helped Brendan Rodgers’ side clinch a fifth-placed finish. He registered nine goals and six assists in 51 games across all competitions last term, including a wonder strike from distance in Leicester’s FA Cup final win over Chelsea at the Wembley Stadium.
The 24-year-old has netted 24 goals and supplied a further 22 assists from the middle of the park for the Foxes, which truly shows his quality going forward. Thomas Tuchel wants high levels of work rate and intensity from all his players, and Tielemans might just be the perfect player for him.
With Youri Tielemans unlikely to extend his contract at the King Power Stadium, it will be interesting to see whether Kleberson’s advice finds favour among the interested parties or not.
