Youri Tielemans’ desire could prove to benefit Arsenal in the transfer market. The Belgian reportedly sees Spain as his next move, which could give Arsenal less competition in the race to sign Aurelien Tchouameni.
According to the Daily Mail, Tielemans has set his heart on a move to Spain with Real Madrid being previously linked to the midfielder. This is despite interest from Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham.
Tchouameni plays in the same position as Tielemans and has also been heavily linked to Real Madrid, but if the Belgian joins Los Blancos, it would certainly give Arsenal more of a chance in signing Tchouameni.
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Arsenal are one of many Premier League clubs following Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, according to Italian reporter Gianluca Di Marzio. Speaking to German outlet wettfreunde, Di Marzio said: "A lot of clubs in the Premier League are following him. Arsenal, Manchester United to name just two. He would like to play in the Premier League. He has stayed at Monaco for another year to await a chance to play in the Premier League. I think that will be the summer when he changes.
Arsenal could be short in the midfield position in the summer. This is because football.london understands that Roma are expected to make a fresh attempt to sign Granit Xhaka at the end of the season.
This will mean that Thomas Partey would be the only experienced midfielder in the team. Mohamed Elneny’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season, and Albert Sambi Lokonga still needs time to mature.
Tchouameni could certainly be the answer to Arsenal’s midfield problems, as the Frenchman is one of the most highly-rated midfielders in European football, hence the interest from many of the top Champions League clubs. There is an even bigger incentive for Arsenal to sign him after he compared himself to an Arsenal great in Patrick Vieira.
“To be one of the best you have to take inspiration from the best. I look at the way Pogba uses the ball, the way Kanté wins the ball, (Patrick) Vieira’s box-to-box style, the way Iniesta, Cesc and Xavi (Hernandez) use the ball. I love watching Kevin De Bruyne play," he told the Ligue 1 website.
Thcouameni would be an excellent acquisition for Arsenal and would cost around £37m according to CIES Football Observatory. Despite the Gunners seemingly losing out on Tielemans, the Belgian could have eased the door for Edu to complete a deal for one of Europe’s most exciting youngsters.
