Youri Tielemans addresses Leicester future amid ongoing transfer links
Youri Tielemans has said he is 'open to everything' after being quizzed about his Leicester future.
Tielemans attracted interest from Liverpool in the summer, while Manchester United and Tottenham have been linked with the midfielder in the past. More recently, La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona were sniffing around and even more clubs are likely to join the race before January.
Tielemans' contract expires in 2023 and 90min understands that Leicester offered him new terms several months back, with talks still ongoing. The club remain confident of reaching an agreement, but the player did little to quell speculation about his future during an interview with Sky Sports.
Asked for any news about a fresh contract, he replied: "There's no update really. I'm open to everything. The transfer market has just closed, but I want to keep as many options as I can open.
"As long as I'm here I will give everything for the club. I've already done so, but I will do so even more. The contract situation is just something that is going on in football, it's a normal situation. There are talks going on - I'm not saying I'm going to sign, I'm not saying I'm not going to sign. We will see."
Liverpool lost Georginio Wijnaldum at the end of last season and are approaching a point where a squad rebuild will soon be an important next step. The importance of depth has only been heightened by Harvey Elliott’s shock injury and doubts about the ability of Naby Keita or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to command a long-term starting role.
Manchester United didn’t end up signing a new midfielder during the summer but are expected to have one on their radar next year. In addition, to Tielemans, the Old Trafford club have also been linked with Yves Bissouma and Ruben Neves, as well as Eduardo Camavinga before he joined Real.
Tottenham’s existing midfield, meanwhile, underperformed and looked thin in terms of depth and options against Crystal Palace in their last game. They are also rumoured to be prepared to sell Harry Winks to freshen things up, although a £40m valuation put prospective buyers off this year.
Losing Tielemans would be a significant blow for Leicester. He has barely missed any games in all competitions since arriving at the club and is vital to the way they play. His wonder strike also ended the club's wait for FA Cup glory in last season's final.
If Tielemans does leave, Leicester do at least seem to have a ready-made replacement in Boubakary Soumare. The 22-year-old Frenchman arrived from Lille during the summer but is yet to establish himself after only three substitute appearances in total .
