Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans has been reportedly linked with a summer move to Manchester United.
The Belgium international, 24, faces an uncertain future at the King Power Stadium with him having just 15 months left on his contract. The Foxes could cash in on their star midfielder in the upcoming transfer window to avoid losing him on a free transfer after he turned down a bumper new deal in February to stay at the club.
According to the Metro, Leicester City are ready to accept an offer in the region of £35million for Youri Tielemans at the end of the season amidst interest from Manchester United and Arsenal.
Tielemans has been a consistent performer for Leicester City ever since signing from AS Monaco in 2019, helping the club qualify for Europe in the last two seasons. Despite chipping in with seven goals and three assists in 36 outings across all formats, he has blown hot and cold just like most of his Foxes’ teammates this term.
As the Belgian midfielder enters the final year of his contract at the King Power Stadium, top clubs across Europe including Manchester United and Arsenal have started exploring the possibility of signing him on a modest fee.
Youri Tielemans to Manchester United—Should they make a move?
Manchester United have made signing a new midfielder a priority this summer regardless of who becomes the permanent manager next season.
Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard are coming to the end of their contracts, and while signing extensions haven’t been ruled out yet, the duo are widely expected to leave Old Trafford at the end of the campaign. Nemanja Matic is 33 and doesn’t got the legs anymore to play two games in a week, while Donny Van de Beek is yet to make a decision on his future after joining Everton on loan in January.
Thus, it is not difficult to understand why the Red Devils are in desperate need of a quality central midfielder, making Youri Tielemans a practical target. To date, Tielemans has turned out 144 times for Leicester City, with 36 of those outings coming in the ongoing campaign.
The Belgian is a box-to-box midfielder by trade who likes to control the flow of the game, create chances for the forwards and get in the box to score goals while completing his fair bit of defensive duties. He is never scared to jump into tackles and challenges and can clear the danger when the opposition are on the front foot, showing the nasty side of his game.
Tielemans has given a good account of himself by averaging 2.1 shots per game, 2 tackles, 0.6 interceptions, 1.4 clearances, 1.7 dribbles and 1.3 key passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League this term. He has been a solid distributor of the ball from midfield, as evidenced by an 83.3% pass success rate. (stats courtesy: whoscored)
Truly, Tielemans could thrive at Manchester United and give his peak years towards the club’s success. He is a Premier League proven commodity and could make an instant impact at Old Trafford next season. That being said, the Red Devils must go all out for the Belgian star’s signature.
