Tottenham: £40m Pochettino target now free to make Hotspur Way move

Tottenham were given the chance to sign Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans when former manager Mauricio Pochettino was still at the club, claims Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge.

The Belgian could now end up joining Spurs’ north London rivals Arsenal as his contract at the King Power Stadium continues to run down, but Bridge would like to see him at Hotspur Way.

Although Arsenal’s interest appears to have cooled a bit, Tielemans is a player Mikel Arteta seems to rate.

The Telegraph claimed back in May that the Spaniard was pushing his superiors to make a bid for the 25-year-old, who joined Leicester from AS Monaco for £40m.

However, since then, it has been reported that he is no longer a priority for the Gunners.

Tielemans has a year on his contract and the transfer window does not close until September, so you probably cannot rule anything out just yet, though.

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Bridge has told GIVEMESPORT that Tottenham previously had the chance to sign Tielemans, who was reportedly a target for them back in 2019.

Speaking to GMS, the Sky Sports reporter said: “I thought he was going to Arsenal. It sounds like he doesn’t want to stay at Leicester. That’s someone who Pochettino was given the chance to sign and it never happened.

“I would be all for that [Tielemans joining Spurs]. It would be a decent move, I think. He’s a good player and he’s Premier League proven, so I would certainly not be averse to that. I’ve not heard anything yet on that, but I certainly would take it.”

With Arsenal backing away from Tielemans for now, Tottenham or another Premier League club have a good opportunity to sign him, an opportunity probably worth exploring.

Antonio Conte has