Arsenal have been linked with a number of midfielders in recent weeks, and Youri Tielemans happens to be one of them.
The Belgian has one year left on his current deal at Leicester City, and he is expected to move on from the Foxes this summer. There have been reports that Leicester have reluctantly agreed to let the player leave for a reasonable price.
However, it appears that the Belgian might not be Arsenal’s priority this window. According to journalist Sacha Tavolieri, the Gunners are hoping to make a move for Lucas Paqueta, who is valued at £58m.
That said, Tielemans remains an option for the London side, and they will return for him if they fail to land the Brazilian this summer.
Paqueta has been a key player for Lyon over the past year, and he scored 13 goals across all competitions. Furthermore, he is versatile enough to play multiple roles in the midfield, and his versatility will be an added bonus.
The South American is undoubtedly a complete midfielder compared to Tielemans, but he is likely to cost a lot more as well. It remains to be seen whether the Gunners can convince Lyon to sell the player this summer.
Paqueta has all the tools to develop into a top-class player, and he could be a solid long-term acquisition for Arsenal. He could justify a major outlay in the future as well.
But the Gunners have already spent a lot of money on the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira this summer, and the reported £58m fees for Paqueta could prove to be prohibitive for them.
It remains to be seen how the situation will evolve over the next few weeks now.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Arsenal try for Tielemans towards the latter stages of the window.
