Arsenal 'still the frontrunners' to bring £49.5m star to the Emirates | OneFootball

Arsenal remain in pole position to sign Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans this summer, according to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook.

Tielemans is out of contract at the King Power Stadium next year, and he has been attracting interest from some of Leicester’s Premier League rivals.

What’s the latest news involving Tielemans?

The 51-cap international has been at Leicester since January 2019, having initially moved over from Monaco on loan before the deal was made permanent that summer.

He is now wanted by Arsenal, and journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed that the Gunners are “confident” that they will land their man before the end of June.

He has stated that Spurs have also shown some interest in the 25-year-old, but they are now on the verge of signing Yves Bissouma, which could mean that they opt against pushing through a deal for Tielemans as well.

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What has Crook said about Tielemans?

Crook believes Tottenham could still cause a surprise by making a move for Tielemans, and he has even suggested that Leicester may try to convince him to stay.

However, he still maintains that Arsenal are well-placed to sign the £49.5m-rated star, after nearly getting him back in the January transfer window.

Crook told GIVEMESPORT: “I think Tottenham are lurking in the background as well, and I think even Leicester are willing to offer him a new contract to keep him there. So, maybe Arsenal isn’t as attractive a proposition as it was, but he was definitely in the building in January, his agent was anyway, holding talks.

“I would still make them the frontrunners, but their position has definitely been weakened by the fact that they’re not in the Champions League.”

Is it time for Arsenal to start getting their transfer business done quicker?

We have already seen a number of top clubs being very active in the transfer market, with Liverpool completing two signings in the shape of Darwin Nunez and Fabio Carvalho.

Tottenham have also wrapped up deals for Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster, and it seems like only a matter of time before Bissouma arrives, while Manchester City pulled off arguably the signing of the summer so far by bringing in Erling Haaland.

In the meantime, Arsenal have taken their time identifying targets, but they have only signed teenage striker Marquinhos thus far, and he may have to bide his time before going into Mikel Arteta’s starting XI.

Arsenal must make sure that they don’t get left behind by their rivals, and that is why getting a deal over the line for Tielemans is crucial.

Jacobs has labelled him as “one of Arteta’s top priorities”, and missing out on him this summer would be a bitter blow for the club as they look to bounce back from the disappointment of failing to qualify for the Champions League last term.