Arsenal in ‘pole position’ for Newcastle United target as Brazilian interest is confirmed

Newcastle United could miss out on transfer target Youri Tielemans after Arsenal reportedly move ahead in the race for the Belgian international.

Tielemans has been repeatedly linked with a move away from the King Power Stadium as he enters the final six months of his current deal. The former Monaco midfielder was said to have been the subject of serious interest from Arsenal and Newcastle during the summer but he remained with the Foxes when the deadline passed in early September.

Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers addressed the situation over the last two days and insisted the former Premier League champions are not considering selling Tielemans early in the new year. He said: “It's not something we are thinking of (selling Tielemans) and not anything the club have said we need to do. We don't want to be offloading our best players, that's for sure. So there has been no hint or indication we need to generate money and move him on. But, of course, there's a business side to the club that they will look at.

“We have a number of players out of contract come the end of the season. My focus has been on working with him and getting out of the situation we are in. So everything else is not really spoken about from my perspective. We had a number of long chats in the summer. There is clearly no doubt even a young guy who is clearly focused like Youri and very professional, it can have an impact. But he has been fully focused.”

However, the Mirror have claimed Arsenal are ‘in pole position’ to complete a move for Tielemans after Serie A giants Juventus ‘cooled’ their interest in the Belgian star.

Agent confirms interest in Brazilian prospect

Newcastle have been linked with several Brazilian youngsters in recent months as they turn their attention towards the South American market.

The likes of Santos winger Angelo Gabriel and Vasco da Gama midfielder Andrey Santos are both said to be under the Magpies radar as the January transfer window approaches. But it is a team-mate of the latter that has been the subject of transfer talk in South America after the agent of striker Eguinaldo suggested the Magpies had been watching his client.

Speaking on the Canal do Pedrosa Youtube channel, he said, “There is an observation, yes, from Newcastle, over Eguinaldo. But there is also the observation of several other clubs. These are very embryonic things, very early, and they are not even considered negotiations or anything very official.”