"Tottenham definitely have an interest there" - Dean Jones says Spurs are ready to rival Arsenal in race to sign 25-year-old midfielder

Football journalist Dean Jones has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur are interested in Leicester City's Youri Tielemans and are ready to rival Arsenal for his signature.

The Lilywhites, who secured Champions League football after three years, are in the market for a new central midfielder this summer and the much sought-after Belgian is on their radar too.

Tielemans' contract situation with the Foxes is a bit dicey right now with just a year remaining on his current deal. This has left open the possibility of a departure this summer.

The Times reported that Spurs are interested in the 25-year-old although their north London rivals the Gunners are in the race too and are keen to price him away to the Emirates.

According to The Telegraph, head coach Mikel Arteta is pushing Arsenal's chiefs to make an opening bid worth £25 million for Tielemans, with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claiming that two more clubs are in the race.

All of this shows the sheer amount of competition for his signature, but Jones feels Spurs won't be at a loss if they lose out in the race to sign the Leicester midfielder.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, he said:

“Youri Tielemans’ future is up in the air too. He’s got a few clubs interested. Tottenham definitely have an interest there, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they didn’t get him.”

Tottenham's interest stems from Harry Winks' decline as he has fallen down in the pecking order and has reportedly been made available in the transfer market for £25 million.

As far as Tielemans is concerned, he rose to fame with his promising displays for Belgian side Anderlecht and revived his career at Leicester after struggling to live up to his potential with AS Monaco.

He has played 158 games for the Foxes, scoring and assisting 24 goals each, including a stunning long-range winner against Chelsea in last year's FA Cup final.

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Tottenham gearing up for the Champions League

After sneaking into the top-four late last season, Tottenham sealed a Champions League return for the first time since the 2019-20 season.

The club are now preparing for the same with a squad rebuild, having already signed Ivan Perisic from Inter Milan and Fraser Forster from Southampton.

There's more to come for sure with many big stars linked as the north London side aim to make a deep run in Europe and fight for the Premier League title.