Chelsea look to pip Arsenal to bargain ‘dark horse’ in January transfer window


Chelsea are reportedly considering a move for long-term Arsenal target Youri Tielemans.

Tielemans is about to enter the final six months of his Leicester contract meaning he will be available for free in the summer.

His situation means the Foxes would be willing to accept a cut-price deal in January to receive some sort of fee for the Belgium international.

A report last week claimed Arsenal would make one final attempt to land Tielemans, but Ben Jacobs believes Mikel Arteta’s side could face competition from Chelsea.

“A dark horse to keep an eye on is someone maybe like a Youri Tielemans, who Arsenal are considering on a free transfer if he doesn’t sign a new deal at Leicester in the summer of 2023,” Jacobs told the CFC365 Podcast.

“Potentially a suitor could put down a low-value offer that they think is a bargain, hoping that Leicester take it rather than lose the player on a free.

“Chelsea haven’t made any significant advances on this front but that’s one to watch.”

Speaking back in September about his future, Tielemans said: “I’m not going to speak too much about my contract situation at the moment. My family is very happy there, and that’s important.

“I didn’t leave in the summer as I always said the project had to be the right one. Just because things are getting worse now at Leicester doesn’t mean I should regret.

“Whether you are in your last contract year or not, it’s also not the case that I talk to the club every day about my extension or not. That is work for my agent. In the end, I will decide. There was talk of different clubs, but I won’t go into that.

“I’m happy to get a bit of fresh air here [with Belgium] because it’s tough at Leicester right now. It’s clear that things are not going well at the club. We are doing everything we can as a team.

“At Leicester, the consecutive defeats have affected us as a group. We need to benefit from this break to recharge our batteries. It’s hard to get it off my mind as it keeps running through my head.

“Only my kids sometimes prevent me from thinking about it.”

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