Paul Stewart has tipped Leicester City star Youri Tielemans to end up at Liverpool this summer “if the player wants to go”.
The Belgian, who scored the pivotal goal in the side’s FA Cup final victory, has been linked with a switch to Anfield following the departure of Gini Wijnaldum, as the Reds are faced with the need to fill a considerable vacancy in the midfield three.
“I think he’s quality. I know that his stock has gone up since the cup final goal, but I think he’s been quality all season and I can see him being at Liverpool before the start of next season,” the former Liverpool star told This is Futbol. “But it’s a thing with Leicester, they’re going to put his price up really high because they don’t have to sell, but if the player wants to go the only club I can see him going to is Liverpool, and I can see him in a red shirt next season.“
With a contract set to expire in 2023, Brendan Rodgers’ East Midlands outfit have time on their side currently to remain in the driving seat as far as setting a valuation goes.
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Valued at around €65m, as estimated by Belgian journalist Sven Claes, the Foxes midfielder is one that will likely not come cheap should we be genuinely interested in arranging a transfer.
Assuming that the 24-year-old stalls on signing a new contract at the King Power Stadium, however, the Premier League outfit could be in something of a difficult situation the season after next, which may prompt an early exit for the former Monaco star.
If Leicester are to get the most value out of Tielamans, the time is ripe to do so, though we at the EOTK doubt that we have the budget to afford our rivals’ asking price and an additional transfer to bolster the forward line.