Arsenal target Youri Tielemans will agree a move to the Emirates Stadium if Champions League football is on offer, according to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook.
According to the Evening Standard, securing that coveted position could prove crucial in their pursuit of the Belgian as the Leicester midfielder is desperate to seal a move to a club competing in Europe’s top competition.
The report suggests the 49-cap Belgium international, who has been identified as one of the north Londoners’ top targets heading into the summer, could be lured away from the King Power Stadium by lodging a bid worth in the region of £30m.
Arsenal are not Tielemans’ only suitors as arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur who are in the driving seat for Champions League football – along with La Liga duo Barcelona and Real Madrid – have been keeping tabs on his situation over the past year.
However, with the club’s grip on a top-four spot loosening quickly, their belief in acquiring the Belgian star may take a huge hit.
Crook understands that Tielemans’ representatives already headed to Arsenal’s training ground earlier in the season and terms were agreed.
However, the journalist warns the 25-year-old’s move could hinge on whether the Gunners bag a place in Europe’s top club competition.
He told GIVEMESPORT:
“I think when we spoke in January, we talked about the fact that his agent had already been down at London Colney to thrash out terms.
“I was told a week or so ago that if Arsenal qualified for the top four, it was almost a done deal. If there was Champions League football he would sign the contract.”
Tielemans, a proven Premier League playmaker, would inject real creativity into Mikel Arteta’s midfield, with Man City boss Pep Guardiola even calling the 24-year-old a “top, top-class player”.
On a reported £120k-per-week, he wouldn’t exactly break the club’s wage structure, with the only obstacle being just how much the Foxes could demand this summer.
The latest reports suggest Tielemans could cost a cut-price somewhere in and around the £30m mark due to his contract situation.
However, with the Champions League unlikely to be on offer, then the Gunners can only hope that the Belgian still chooses a move to the red part of north London this summer.
If Spurs manage to grab the Foxes star from under Arsenal’s noses, it will surely be a damaging blow to Arteta.
AND in other news, “Utter disaster” – Journalist slams £27m-rated Arsenal star after disappointing Newcastle cameo…