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Youri Tielemans has admitted “there’s nothing” going on that may change his future beyond this season, leaving him expecting to return to parent club AS Monaco once his loan spell with Leicester City ends.
The gifted attacking midfielder assessed the state of things during an interview with VTM Nieuws (h/t Kristof Terreur of Het Laatste Nieuws):
Kristof Terreur 📰🎥 @HLNinEngeland
Youri Tielemans to @vtmnieuws: “I expect that I will return to Monaco in the summer, unless something’s moving. At the moment there’s nothing. If things are going well you want to keep it like that. I don’t know what Monaco will be asking, so I can’t talk about it.” #lcfc🦊 https://t.co/05dmPyBGme
Tielemans may not have to wait long for developments to occur, with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur both keen, per Adam Skinner of the Daily Express.
Terreur provided more details about how far along the Red Devils and Lilywhites have taken their interest:
Kristof Terreur 📰🎥 @HLNinEngeland
Leicester want to keep him, but they don’t have an option to buy him. Monaco were asking around £40m in January. Tottenham and Man United have had in on their list for years and agents have been in touch, but no concrete offers so far. Neither an official bid.
It’s understandable Leicester would want to retain Tielemans’ services beyond his loan deal. He’s been an instant hit since leaving Ligue 1 for the English top flight during the January transfer window.
Tielemans has added extra flair, vision and goal threat to a team rapidly improving on the watch of manager Brendan Rodgers. The latter prefers a game based more on artistry than industry, and the combination of Tielemans, fellow creative talent James Maddison and prolific striker Jamie Vardy is surely key to Rodgers’ plans next season.
Football Whispers @FB_WHISPERS
Youri Tielemans turns 22 today! 🥳
The Belgian has made a significant impact at #LCFC 💪
On loan at the King Power, it’s safe to say a few other clubs will express an interest in the midfielder this summer! https://t.co/0fhWX4f98U
Not surprisingly, Rodgers has been open about his desire for Tielemans to stay at the King Power Stadium. Yet Rodgers knows it won’t be easy if the Belgium international is tempted by bigger clubs, per Skinner: “If some of the players want to play for one of the global brands, a Liverpool or Man United, if that’s their ambition, then that can be difficult for us.”
Sadly for Rodgers, the very qualities that make Tielemans so important for the Foxes also make him an appealing target for the Premier League’s big boys. Every member of the top six, including United and Spurs, should want to sign a rising star young enough to improve further on a bigger stage:
FootballTalentScout @FTalentScout
Youri Tielemans turns 22 today!
✅185 games & 35 goals for Anderlecht
✅65 games & 6 goals for Monaco
✅12 games & 3 goals for Leicester City
✅21 caps & 1 goal for Belgium NT283 games & 45 goals at the age of 22! 😱
Happy Birthday, Youri! https://t.co/lmCSvtnmkv
There is no doubt United need a skilled technician for a midfield short on craft at times this season. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer doesn’t have much inspiration to call on aside from mercurial Frenchman Paul Pogba.
Solskjaer’s numbers in the middle are set to be thinned this summer after Ander Herrera announced via the club’s official Twitter account on Saturday he will leave Old Trafford at the end of the season:
Herrera may not be the only midfielder who opts to look for pastures new this summer. Juan Mata could join him since the 31-year-old will be out of contract.
Mata possesses the quality on the ball United have precious little of, but the former Chelsea man wants a “minimum two-year contract” to stay put, according to Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News.
Losing Mata would mean United have the room for a player with Tielemans’ attributes. Moving quickly to induce Monaco into a sale would be an ideal way for Solskjaer to get started with a necessary rebuild of the squad in the upcoming transfer window.
