Tottenham, Arsenal, Newcastle in four-way battle to land Leicester midfield lynchpin
Tottenham, Arsenal and Newcastle are all reportedly interested in a summer swoop for influential Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans.
The Belgium star has been one of the Foxes’ outstanding performers over the last few seasons, having arrived from Monaco initially on loan in January 2019. He completed a permanent £32million switch later that summer.
But his excellent form has led to several clubs taking an interest, with Liverpool known admirers in the past.
However, Don Balon claims that Real Madrid will target the 24-year-old if they fail to land Sergej Milinkovic-Savic from Lazio.
A move for Real could be a tricky one, though, given the Premier League interest in the player.
Don Balon adds that Spurs, Arsenal and already big-spending Newcastle are ready to launch summer bids.
Spurs’ interest stems from Antonio Conte wanting more a goal threat from the middle of the park, while Gunners boss Mikel Arteta wants to upgrade all areas of his team – but particularly his central midfield.
As for Newcastle, they are being linked with everyone under the sun after their takeover by PIF.
Tielemans is currently under contract until the end of next season. That means this summer represents Leicester’s best chance of recouping a significant profit on the player.
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Major Tottenham signing already agreed
Meanwhile, Gareth Bale has already reached an agreement to return to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, according to a report detailing why the move has had to wait.
Bale is in the final six months of his contract with Real Madrid, where he remains an unpopular figure. His current club will be counting down the days until they can release him and his high wages.
Madrid have been hoping to offload Bale for a while after his decline in fortunes in recent years. They allowed him to spend last season back on loan at Tottenham, from whom they had signed him in 2013.
But no permanent move materialised after the loan spell. Bale has been back in Spain ever since. Reunited with Carlo Ancelotti, he made three appearances in August before a range of injury issues since.
It may not be long, though, until Bale is back at Tottenham. According to El Nacional, he has had an agreement in place with Spurs for a few months.
He opted against making a transfer in January so he can earn his full wages from what remains of his Madrid contract. Furthermore, by signing for his next club as a free agent, he can take a significant signing-on fee.
But Tottenham could be his next takers again, ready to make such an investment.
He was not in the plans of their new boss Nuno Espirito Santo in the summer. But now Nuno has been replaced by Antonio Conte, he is back on their agenda.
Bale set for final swansong
At the age of 32, Bale could get one final swansong in the Spurs shirt he has worn 237 times previously.
El Nacional add that it is unlikely he will play for Madrid again before his contract expires.
Tottenham, should they sign him, would therefore be hoping he can regain his match sharpness by the time the new season arrives.
El Nacional have previously reported that another of Bale’s former clubs, Southampton, would want to sign him too. But Tottenham are likely to be a more attractive destination.
And Bale could have already made up his mind. With the prospect of retirement ruled out by the report, re-joining Tottenham could be Bale’s likeliest solution.
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