Chelsea are interested in signing Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans.
That's according to CBS journalist Ben Jacobs, who says the Blues have entered the race to sign the Belgium international. Tielemans' contract expires next summer and the midfielder had been tipped to leave the Foxes in the last summer transfer window.
But a move did not come to fruition, and now Todd Boehly appears to be eyeing a move for the 25-year-old. According to Jacobs, Chelsea may have to sign him for a fee in January to fend off competition from Real Madrid and Barcelona, who could tie him down to a pre-contract agreement next month. Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are also in the frame to sign Tielemans.
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It's reported Graham Potter's side have not made a concrete offer for Tielemans yet, but that could change in the coming weeks. The Blues face a midfield revamp in the coming windows with both N'Golo Kante and Jorginho's contracts expiring next summer.
Tielemans could be an ideal signing considering he would be available for a lower fee in January due to his contract situation. However, Edu and Mikel Arteta are known admirers of Tielemans and football.london understands the Gunners are interested in signing a midfielder in January, as well as a winger.
Chelsea may hold an advantage over Arsenal due to Tielemans' previous comments on wanting to play Champions League football, however. That's because back in March, Tielemans admitted to Het Laatste Nieuws that he'd like to play in Europe's top competition: "I don't worry about it [speculation].
"I want to get the most out of myself this season and finish as high as possible with the team. Of course, I want to play in the Champions League, just like any footballer. Am I ready for a European top club? I'm ready to get the best out of my career. We'll see what happens next summer, or the summer after that."
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