Manchester United are in the market for a central midfielder this summer and have Jude Bellingham, Mason Mount and Declan Rice on their transfer wishlist.
However, Daniel Murphy of the Manchester Evening News suggests they should make a move for Youri Tielemans.
The 25-year-old joined Leicester City from AS Monaco in 2019 and has gone on to make 187 appearances in all competitions, scoring 28 goals with 25 assists.
Tielemans has an uncertain future at the King Power Stadium, as his deal is up in 2023 with no contract extension on the horizon.
He could leave Leicester on a free transfer and United should put themselves in a position to sign him as he would improve their midfield.
Erik ten Hag not only has to sign players to challenge on all fronts next season, but he also needs to trim the deadwood.
United have seven central midfielders in the first-team squad – Casemiro, Fred, Donny van de Beek, Scott McTominay, Marcel Sabitzer, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes) – so Ten Hag needs to bring that number down.
Van de Beek has struggled for appearances with only two league starts this season, while being on the periphery ever since he joined from Ajax in 2020 and he’s expected to move on.
Tielemans would be a fantastic replacement as he boasts more tackles per game (2.1 to 0), interceptions per game (0.8 to 0.1), passes per game (51.9 to 8.4) and chances created per game (1 to 0.4) without breaking the bank.
It remains to be seen how many clubs would line up to sign Van de Beek as he’s been short of form, fitness and playing time this campaign, but Tielemans should be considered as his successor.
The Belgian international would surely jump at the chance to join a top-four Premier League side too, so a move suits all parties.
Stats from Transfermarkt and WhoScored
