Arsenal have “always appreciated” Leicester City and Belgium international Youri Tielemans, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

The north London club had been linked with a move for the 25-year-old in the summer, but a move to the Emirates Stadium never materialised.

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What’s the latest on Tielemans?

According to Romano in his CaughtOffside daily briefing, the journalist has stated that Tielemans, whose £120k per-week contract expires at Leicester at the end of the season, is hoping to join a club in a free transfer.

However, the Daily Mail say that the Foxes are confident that they can tie the midfielder down to a new deal to prevent him from leaving the King Power Stadium on a free transfer next summer.

Should the 55-time Belgium international, who is currently in Qatar for the World Cup with his national team, not sign a new deal, then it is likely that Leicester would have to let the midfielder leave for a cut-price fee in January, to avoid losing him for free in the summer.

And Romano thinks it will be interesting to see whether Arsenal look to bring in a midfielder in January, or if they wait until the summer, having missed out on the services of Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz at the end of the summer window.

What has Romano said about Tielemans?

Romano told GIVEMESPORT: “And then about the midfielder, it depends, again on the quality of the players available because Douglas Luiz was the target in the summer.

“Tielemans is a player they’ve always appreciated.

So, let’s see if Arsenal will decide to try to bring in a new midfielder in the January transfer window or in the summer.”

Would Tielemans be a good signing for Arsenal?

Arsenal would likely be making a fantastic signing if they were able to secure the services of Tielemans either in January or next summer, with the midfielder already having almost four years of Premier League experience under his belt.

The former Monaco man is capable of producing the odd goal and assist from the centre of the park, as proven by the fact he has scored 27 goals and provided 25 assists in his 175 appearances for the Foxes, according to Transfermarkt.

However, the Belgian is also able to do the less glamorous things in midfield, as shown by the fact he ranks in the top 13% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues as well as the Champions League and Europa League for tackles per 90 minutes (2.80) and the top 17% for blocks per 90 minutes (1.58) over the last 365 days, according to FBref.

Therefore, as an all-round midfielder, it would seem that Tielemans would be capable of adding a dynamic presence to Mikel Arteta’s midfield, and this is a transfer he may want to pursue ahead of the January transfer window.