Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans in the January transfer window.
The Blaugrana are top of the La Liga table at the World Cup break but have crashed out of the Champions League. Despite their ongoing financial problems, the club is planning to be busy in the winter transfer window.
According to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans is firmly on the wishlist of Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez.
Tielemans, 25, is out of contract at Leicester City at the end of the season and should be eligible to sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club in January. The Belgian international has shown no indication that he wants to sign a new deal at the King Power Stadium, alerting a host of clubs, including Barcelona and Arsenal.
The report adds that the Barcelona sporting director Jordi Cruyff has glowing reports of Tielemans since he knows Belgium national team coach, Roberto Martinez, which could give the Spanish giants the edge over Arsenal in the chase for the midfielder’s signature.
Youri Tielemans to Barcelona—Will he be the right option?
Barcelona signed Franck Kessie on a free transfer from AC Milan in the summer but the player has yet to adapt to his new surroundings in Spain. Kessie has missed the last two games before the World Cup with injury and will be out of action until the New Year. When fit, however, the Ivory Coast international was the fifth-least-used senior player in the squad this term.
Apart from Kessie’s struggles, Sergio Busquets is at the twilight of his career, and it is hoped in the Barcelona camp that the veteran midfielder will leave the club once his contract expires at the end of the season. Along those lines, Leicester City star Youri Tielemans has emerged as a target for the Catalan club, since he is into the final seven months of his contract.
Tielemans endured a slow start to the season but has picked up his game in recent weeks, helping Leicester City climb away from the relegation zone to 13th in the table.
In addition to his three goals and an assist in 15 league appearances, the 25-year-old has given a good account of himself at both ends of the field based on his average of 1.6 tackles, 1 interception, 0.2 clearances, 1.2 shots, 1.6 key passes, 0.2 crosses and 3 long balls per 90 minutes with a solid pass success rate of 87.8% (stats courtesy: WhoScored.com).
The Belgian mainly operates as a box-to-box midfielder in a double pivot but can also play as a No.10 if his manager asks him to do so. Technically strong and tactically smart, Tielemans can strike the ball with power and accuracy from long distances and can even make late runs into the box to finish off moves.
Undoubtedly, the Leicester midfielder would improve Xavi’s midfield options at Barcelona. And as Tielemans’ contract with the Foxes expires in the summer of 2023, Barcelona landing him on a cut-price fee during the January transfer window would represent smart business.
