According to Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United could hijack Arsenal’s proposed move for Youri Tielemans and have held talks with the midfielder’s agent.
Tielemans is in the final year of his contract with Leicester City and has stated that he will not be extending it. The Foxes are willing to pay in rather than risk losing the midfielder for nothing in a year.
Arsenal have long been linked with a bid for the 25-year-old, and according to CBS Sports’ Ben Jacobs, Tielemans has already accepted personal terms with the North London giants.
However, no formal offer has been made by Arsenal, which might allow Manchester United to jump in and hijack their anticipated move for Tielemans. Fabrizio Romano claims that Tielemans is on United’s list of backup options in case they fail to get a deal for Frenkie de Jong over the line.
Romano told the Wondergoal Podcast: “At the moment, Man Utd are keeping it quiet because they also want to show to Frenkie de Jong that he’s the Plan A, B and C. So, it’s normal to see Man Utd on this position.
“But as always in top clubs they explore many possibilities and many options so it’s absolutely normal to have a list of players.
“I want to keep an eye, for example, on Youri Tielemans. What happens with Youri Tielemans is really important I think because I think he’s been really close to joining Arsenal and then they never submitted a proposal.
“Tielemans is still waiting for Arsenal but his agents have had conversations with Man Utd a few months ago.
“Man Utd always had this player on their radar. It is a very good opportunity because he’s out of contract with Leicester next summer. So this is an interesting opportunity for many clubs, discussing about the fee and the budget.
“It depends on the opportunities but today it is still Frenkie, Frenkie, Frenkie. And Tielemans could be together with Ruben Neves, some of the names they’re exploring.”