Transfer Talk: United and Arsenal handed boost in race for Tielemans

Manchester United and Arsenal have been given a boost in their pursuit of Youri Tielemans after Leicester reduced their asking price for the midfielder.

The Belgian international, 24, is under contract at the King Power Stadium until June 2023 and is yet to agree fresh terms.

And it appears the Foxes are now resigned to losing Tielemans at the end of the season in order to avoid him leaving for free next year.

According to Belgian outlet Het Nieuwsblad, he is eyeing an exit to join a "top club with title ambitions". 

Tielemans' valuation has been previously reported to be as high as £60million but the report indicates Brendan Rodgers' men will now accept a £35m bid due to his contract situation.

Both United and Arsenal have been linked with moves for the Foxes ace for some time as they look to bolster their options in the centre of the park.

The Red Devils’ quest for a midfielder is well known, only made more pressing by Paul Pogba’s expected departure upon his contract expiry at the end of this season.

They have been tracking England pair Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips but Tielemans would offer a much cheaper alternative.

The Gunners are on the hunt for reinforcements in that area too, with Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz another thought to be interested in a summer move.

In other news

Rice has reiterated his ambitions to win trophies and play in the Champions League as reports of a West Ham exit persist.

But the 23-year-old — whose admirers include Manchester City and Chelsea as well as United — told Gary Neville on The Overlap podcast that current speculation is "just noise".

Barcelona are winning the race to sign AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie this summer, according to Marca.

The 25-year-old has been coveted by Liverpool and Tottenham previously but he looks set to head to Catalonia when his contract expires in June.

ESPN say Barca are targeting Chelsea’s defensive trio Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen and Marcos Alonso, who are all set to be available in low-cost deals.

Azpilicueta and Christensen are both available for free in the summer, while Alonso has just one year left to run on his contract as the LaLiga outfit look to save funds for their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland.