Chelsea should go all in for Leicester superstar before someone else does

Chelsea certainly doesn’t need a midfielder, but they seem to be linked regardless. Much of that is circumstance. When it comes to Declan Rice, the time has come for him to start looking around and for the West Ham ownership to consider selling him now while the value is high. For Aurelien Tchouameni, the interest from all over forces more and more clubs to come in for fear of missing out.

On the other side of things, Chelsea has Jorginho and N’Golo Kante running out of contract. They could both be extended, but the Blues may not want to be once bitten, twice shy after facing the potential of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen leave for free. Even if those two extend, they aren’t getting younger and the Blues need to plan for the future at some point.

Declan Rice and Aurelien Tchouameni take the headlines, but Chelsea should be going all out to snatch Youri Tielemans up before someone else does. If the Blues are in the hunt for midfielders based on circumstance, the circumstance of Tielemans works out far more in the club’s favor.

Tielemans’ contract runs out in just under 18 months and he’s given no indication of extending. That forces Leicester’s hand in a way Chelsea’s may be with Jorginho or Kante. Leicester will have to sell rather than get nothing for one of their star players. Liverpool and Arsenal are linked, but Chelsea should be all over that deal. Tielemans should be a primary target over Rice and Tchouameni even.

Rice and Tchouameni will both spark bidding wars. While the former would likely push for a move to Chelsea over other clubs, the latter may be less keen on the Blues. Furthermore, there are questions as to whether or not Rice’s profile would fit the Blues or if Tchouameni’s potential can translate out of Ligue 1. Tielemans removes both of those fears.

Tielemans has been the heartbeat of Leicester City for several seasons now. Something of a roaming playmaker, Tielemans has often been given freedom to roam and be an outlet all over the pitch. Beyond that, he is certainly unafraid to take a shot from distance and he connects with the back of the net far more often than current Chelsea midfielders. Defensively, he often leaves the duties to others, but that is not dissimilar to how the Blues tend to operate under Thomas Tuchel with the press and back three screening most attacks out.

But perhaps more than anything will be the ease of the transfer. Chelsea has a fantastic (albeit, one way) relationship with Leicester. The Blues could easily come up with a favorable deal to bring Tielemans over while Leicester feel as though they are getting what they deserve. West Ham won’t be so kind with Rice and the Tchouameni bidding war is sure to loop in the likes of Real Madrid. Tielemans would be a Premier League proven player that would fit in well with the current tactics while also being affordable. The only question is why Chelsea hasn’t been linked yet.