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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is interested in signing Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans this summer. The Gunners have been monitoring the Belgian for the entire summer, and the Spanish manager is pushing the club to bring him to the Emirates.
According to The Telegraph (via HITC), Tielemans is open to a move to Arsenal this summer. However, the Gunners haven't made an official bid yet.
The north London side have secured the £30 million signing of Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City and could shift their focus to Tielemans.
The 25-year-old midfielder will cost around £25 million, arguably a bargain for the Belgian. However, he is in the last year of his contract with Leicester City and has refused to sign a new one.
Tielemans has been a key part of the Leicester side since joining them from AS Monaco in 2019. He has played 158 matches for the club in all competitions, registering 24 goals and 24 assists.
He is known for his ability to control the midfield with his brilliant passing range, and he also possesses great shooting ability.
The Gunners need a player like that despite having the likes of Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka in their ranks. An injury to the former last season proved costly for the north London side. Mohamed Elneny and Sambi Lokonga failed to impress in the Ghanaian's absence.
They eventually missed out on fourth spot in the Premier League to rivals Tottenham Hotspur by just two points.
However, as per the aforementioned HITC report, Arsenal will only sign Tielemans if they can offload some players. These include Bernd Leno, Lucas Torreira, Pablo Mari, Hector Bellerin, and Nicolas Pepe.
Kevin Campbell urges Arsenal to sign Chelsea midfielder
If the price is right, former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell believes the Gunners should sign Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante this summer.
According to the Daily Star, the north London side are monitoring the 31-year-old's situation at Chelsea.
Campbell believes that they should definitely try to sign him as midfield is an area of major concern for Mikel Arteta's side.
Campbell told Football Insider:
"For me, if the money was right – I’d do it straight away. He’s someone who knows how to operate in the Premier League, that’s for sure. Yes, he suffered a few injuries last season, but his numbers are still frightening. He’s still one of the best around, and that midfield area is still a massive problem area for Arsenal."
He added:
“We’ve seen them play games where the midfield just can’t get a grip – especially when Thomas Partey isn’t there. We need someone else who knows how to navigate and dominate. I don’t think there has been a better exponent of that midfield engine room in recent years than N’Golo Kante.”
Kante suffered from injuries last season but still managed 42 appearances in all competitions, registering two goals and five assists. He has just one year left on his current contract with Chelsea.
