Man Utd ‘target Leicester star Youri Tielemans in £40m swoop as transfer alternative to Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips’
MANCHESTER UNITED are eyeing up a £40million move for Leicester midfielder Youri Tielemans, according to reports.
The Red Devils have been heavily linked with England internationals Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips.
But they have received blows in their pursuit of both men in recent weeks.
Rice revealed in an interview with Gary Neville that he was a Chelsea fan growing up, while also insisting he wants to stay living close to home in London.
And Phillips is reportedly happy to sign a new deal with Leeds after the club rejected bids from West Ham in the January window.
The Yorkshire-born star is also not keen on a move to Old Trafford due to the rivalry between Leeds and Man Utd.
Despite those setbacks, Ralf Rangnick’s side are still keen to sign a midfielder in the summer.
And according to The Star, Tielemans is emerging as their preferred option if Rice and Phillips are unavailable.
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He has shone since arriving in England, scoring 23 goals and assisting a further 22 in 134 appearances.
The Belgian international has just entered the final 18 months of his contract at the King Power Stadium.
He was linked with a move to Arsenal in the January window but a deal never materialised.
Leicester are desperate to convince him to pen a new deal but talks have failed to progress with the former Anderlecht and Monaco ace.
Tielemans has aspirations of playing Champions League football – which is something Man Utd hope to be able to offer him.
However, he is also being monitored by Serie A giants Juventus – so United face stiff competition if they are to sign him.
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The Foxes sit down in 10th place in the Premier League after just seven wins from 20 games so far this season.
Meanwhile, United are keen to fill the hole Paul Pogba could leave in their squad if he departs in the summer.
The Frenchman’s contract expires at the end of the season and he has been muted as a target for Real Madrid, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain.
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