Zinedine Zidane recommends Real Madrid to sign Premier League midfielder - Reports

Zinedine Zidane recommended a Premier League player to his former club Real Madrid while he was still their manager, according to Diario Gol. The Spanish news outlet reported that Zidane, who led the Madridistas to three Champions League triumphs, asked the club to sign Youri Tielemans from Leicester City.

According to the report, Zidane often recommended players to the Bernabeu board, not all of whom ended up joining Los Blancos.

The Belgium midfielder had a vibrant run of form at the King Power Stadium last season, which greatly increased interest in his services from European clubs.

With Real Madrid still looking to add more depth to their midfield and strengthen the centre, Tielemans has been on the club's radar for some time. However, he has not been a priority, with the Bernabeu hierarchy looking to acquire the services of Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund instead.

Toni Kroos has less than a year left on his contract and Luka Modric is set to turn 38 next year. Real Madrid are thus on the lookout for replacements. The club have already signed players like Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga, but more depth is required. Hence, they are revisiting Zidane's recommendation.

According to the report, Tielemans' run of form at Leicester has been convincing to the Spanish giants as they have monitored his progress since his time at Anderlecht.

Buying Jude Bellingham instead of Tielemans is not expected to be an easy task as the 19-year-old Englishman has become hot property. There has been major interest in his services from the biggest clubs on the continent, alongside Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain.

If they cannot get Bellingham, however, the former Anderlecht player could provide a cheaper option.

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Real Madrid could sign Youri Tielemans to provide cover for a potential Toni Kroos exit

The Belgium international's contract with the Foxes ends next summer, which means he can discuss his future with any club in January. Toni Kroos is also in his last contracted year at the Bernabeu, and the Madridistas could be looking to replace the legendary midfielder with Tielemans.

Kroos has not agreed to a new contract that will keep him with Los Blancos for the foreseeable future, which has led the club to seek alternatives.

Although he currently has a market value of €45 million, the looming end to his contract could see Tielemans continue his career at Real Madrid on a free transfer. While they did not sign him during Zidane's time at the Bernabeu dugout, the option will remain open as the coming months lead to the winter transfer window.