Rumour Mongering: Tielemans to Decide Future After Euros

Gini Wijnaldum’s departure as a free agent has left a pretty sizable hole in the Liverpool midfield. Though the club is insistent that they believe they already have the personnel to fill in that hole, fans and journalists alike remain unconvinced.

Naturally, that means Liverpool are being linked to numerous potential midfield replacements. One of the most common and intriguing of the rumoured replacements is Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans.

The 24-year-old Belgian is fresh off a strong season for the Foxes, and he was a key component of the side that just missed qualifying for a Champion’s League place on the final day of the Premier League season. It was this near miss that has fueled many of the rumours around his future.

According to the Leicester Mercury, Leicester would like to extend Tielemans’ contract, which is set to expire in 2023. However, the mix of missing out on CL football and his own rising star has the young Belgian weighing his options before rushing to sign an extension.

The upcoming European Championships are also a factor. According to Eurosport, Tielemans believes he could boost his profile by making a strong showing at the Euros, so he wants to keep his options open.

With all these factors in mind, it’s expected that Tielemans will wait to make a decision on his future, whether that’s a contract extension at Leicester or a move to a bigger club that can offer CL football, until after the Euros. Given the long history of players earning big money moves after personal success at international tournaments, it’s hard to blame him.

This means two things for Liverpool FC. First, it means if they actually are targeting a Gini replacement and Tielemans is their man, they won’t be able to complete the move early in the window as they typically like to do. Second, it means there is no end in sight to the rumours linking the Belgian with a transfer to Merseyside.