Youri Tielemans may not be joining Arsenal this summer however the opportunity for the club to buy him in future windows remains. The Belgian had been open to a move and football.london understands that the interest from the Gunners was genuine.
However, the club were in no rush to pay over the odds for a player whose contract would expire the following summer. football.london reported that Edu was willing to wait until 2023 to sign the 25-year-old as Arsenal instead have tried to secure a deadline day deal for Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz.
What is crucial though is that he has stayed at Leicester City and is playing against Manchester United tonight. There had been suggestions that Newcastle United were interested in signing him late in the window.
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However, how Tielemans feels about the situation will be interesting. There has been nothing concrete to suggest the Gunners made an official offer for Tielemans despite personal terms reportedly never being a problem for Arsenal.
With the player keen on finding a new club this summer, staying with the Foxes provides them with an opportunity to protect their asset and attempt to convince him to sign a new deal. He will be free in the winter window to sign a pre-contractual agreement with a foreign club.
Potentially Arsenal or another side could come back in during the January window, although should Luiz arrive and Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey both be fully fit it might not make sense to invest in Tielemans. Discussions around whether his profile was the right one for Mikel Arteta for the long-term have been debated in the final weeks of the window.
Questions surrounding whether he represents a significant enough upgrade in the existing midfield options. At the moment, it would be difficult to see him displacing Granit Xhaka after his fine start to the new season.
Should Arsenal fail with their midfield search it will represent a second summer in a row without signing a central midfield starter for the club. The last remains Thomas Partey’s arrival on deadline day in 2020.
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