Leicester City have got relegated from the Premier League, but one of their best players Youri Tielemans will remain in the most competitive league in the world. Free to choose his next club, free agent Tielemans has agreed to join Aston Villa.
Prestigious sports outlet The Athletic and their writer David Ornstein reported on Saturday afternoon that Villa have won the race for the classy midfielder. The 26-year-old has undergone medical examinations in Birmingham and is expected to be presented at Villa Park imminently.
Despite the reported interest from AS Roma, the English club has been the quickest and the most direct in their moves. The promise of a club on its way up was enough to get Tielemans to say yes.
The Belgian international is now on the cusp of becoming Villa’s first signing of the transfer window as they prepare for Unai Emery’s first full season in charge.
They qualified for the Europa Conference League after finishing seventh in the Premier League last campaign. It was a great second part of the campaign for the claret-and-blues, who are now determined to improve the squad and give Emery the tools to build on last season’s heroics.
There are still no words on how long the contract will be.
Tielemans joined Leicester from AS Monaco, initially on loan in January 2019, before the move was made permanent six months later.
The Belgium international made 195 appearances for Leicester during his four years at the King Power, helping guide the side to consecutive fifth-place finishes in 2019 and 2020, and played a key role in his former side’s FA Cup triumph in 2021, scoring the winner against Chelsea at Wembley.
