Arsenal determined to sign midfield target in 2023

Arsenal will attempt to sign Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans in January, 90min understands, but believe a summer transfer is most likely.

Tielemans is out of contract at the end of the season and has rejected the opportunity to extend his stay at King Power Stadium, with Arsenal one of many suitors interested in offering a contract to the Belgian.

90min confirmed in November that a winter bid for Tielemans was on the cards and sources have since stressed that Arsenal want to bring the 25-year-old in as soon as possible.

Arsenal will try and convince Leicester to sell Tielemans in January but there are fears at the Emirates Stadium that the Foxes will refuse to do business over one of their most influential players, given they remain in a relegation fight.

Leicester have climbed up to 13th in the Premier League table but are just four points clear of the drop zone, so selling Tielemans and disrupting their squad is not their preferred course of action in January.

However, the Foxes may be open to offloading Tielemans next month if they land World Cup star Azzedine Ounahi, who is of interest after his stellar performances in Qatar.

If they are made to wait until the summer, Arsenal will retain contact with Tielemans and will look to recruit him on a free transfer once his contract expires.

Tielemans is Arsenal’s primary concern in midfield and signing the Belgian is ahead of recruiting Palmeiras midfielder Danilo is the Gunners’ list of moves.

Arsenal officials are still keen on 21-year-old Danilo but are now more focused on landing Tielemans, while there is also a reluctance to commit to spending too much money on midfielders amid the uncertainty over striker Gabriel Jesus’ injury timeline.

While a January move for the Brazilian has not been ruled out, a summer approach is now seen as more likely, with the Gunners also expected to consider the futures of both Mohamed Elneny and Albert Sambi Lokonga at the end of the season.