Arsenal have ‘pulled the plug’ on a deal for Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans this summer, with a pair of alternatives emerging, according to various reports.
The Gunners were widely expected to add the 25-year-old Belgian to their ranks this summer, having enquired about him in Janaury and with just 12 months left on his contract at the King Power Stadium, however the addition of Fabio Vieira from Porto threw the deal into doubt.
According to the Athletic, no bids have been made for Tielemans, with Arsenal instead prioritising other targets as they look to close deals for Raphinha, Gabriel Jesus and Lisandro Martinez.
A deal for Gabriel Jesus is expected to be finalised in the coming days by Arsenal (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
And, as per The Express, this has seen Arsenal pull the plug on any deal for the Belgian, with others now being targetted.
RC Lens midfielder Seko Fofana has been one of those alternatives touted, with French outlet L’Equipe reporting that Arsenal have made an approach for the 29-year-old, who is also wanted by Paris Saint Germain.
Meanwhile, they have also been credited with an interest in Napoli and Spain midfielder Fabian Ruiz, who is down to the final year on his contract in Naples.
What does this mean for Tielemans?
Tielemans has seemingly generated no interest aside from Arsenal this summer, with Liverpool’s previous interest not having carried over to this summer.
As a result, Arsenal can afford to wait until later in the window to complete a deal should they want to, while the threat of alternatives could also help to bring down the price of the Belgian.
Could Arsenal be trying to haggle down his price with Leicester City? (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
It will certainly heap the pressure on Leicester to agree to sell for a lower fee, or lose him for free next summer, should that be the case.
Given Arsenal’s clear plan for summer transfers, and the subsequent lack of speculation surrounding alternatives, it would be somewhat odd should they not ultimately at least try for their man.
Read more:
Sunday’s transfer rumours: Ronaldo, Neymar, De Jong, Martinez, Sterling and more
The latest on Arsenal’s attempts to tie William Saliba down to a new contract
