Newcastle United & Arsenal dodge bullet as former target ‘wants to leave’ Aston Villa after four months

Tielemans left Leicester City following relegation from the Premier League last season and was linked with a number of clubs across the Premier League and Europe before joining Villa.

While the Belgian has featured in all Aston Villa’s matches so far this season, he has been limited exclusively to substitute appearances in the Premier League. He has made two starts in the Carabao Cup and UEFA Conference League.

Going from a regular starter for years at Leicester to a squad player at Villa has been difficult to take for the 26-year-old midfielder, who has described his time at the club so far as ‘not pleasant’.

While on international duty with Belgium, Tielemans told DH: “The situation is not pleasant. I told the manager that I came to Villa to play.

“He understands me, but at the moment, he prefers to play with the two midfielders from last season. He told me that soon, there will be a succession of games and I’ll get more playing time.”

Various reports claim that Tielemans would be looking to leave Villa in January should his situation not improve over the coming months.

Newcastle were linked with a move for Tielemans as his contract at Leicester ran-down and Eddie Howe eyed midfield reinforcements. But The Magpies have since signed Sandro Tonali from AC Milan for £52million and tied Bruno Guimaraes down to a new five-year deal.

Arsenal have also been heavily linked with the Belgian in recent seasons but opted against a move.