Ace in talks with Liverpool; personal terms certain; ready for new challenge

Amid claims that Liverpool have entered into talks to sign Youri Tielemans, Sven Claes, a Belgian football expert, claims he is ready for a new challenge.

With it certain that personal terms can be agreed, all that needs to be done is agree with the Foxes on a fee although that is easier said than done.

With all that said, Belgian football expert Sven Claes says, via Sports Illustrated, “When he’ll play a good Euros I expect [Youri Tielemans] to be leaving yes. He’s ready for a new challenge/next step – and I also believe that.

“He’s an absolute talent with an excellent mentality on and off the pitch."

Signing Tielemans wouldn't just replace Georginio Wijnaldum, who is set to join PSG this summer after they hijacked Barcelona's move to sign him for free, but it would also set them up for years to come.

The Belgian midfielder has shone in the Premier League since he joined Leicester City from AS Monaco in 2019 and has caught the eye of many clubs across Europe, with Liverpool showing great interest this summer.

He's certainly not a like for like replacement for Wijnaldum but what he will add is great energy in midfield, long-range goals, the ability to drive forward with the ball and tenacious tackling.

He's also very good at reading playing and intercepting the ball. Not only can he win it back with frightening regularity but he can also be very effective with the ball in transition and can become the fourth attacker at times.

Liverpool's midfield over the last few years has been very effective but only when Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold are in good form as their roles have been defined purely to provide the fullbacks with as much freedom as possible.

Adding Tielemans to the mix will give Jurgen Klopp the option to add more goals from the middle of the park as well as alleviate the pressure on the front three to score.

In all competitions, the 24-year-old scored 9 goals and got 6 assists which is a lot higher than any Liverpool midfielder but this has to do with the way Jurgen Klopp sets his team up.

Wijnaldum is capable of those numbers but Klopp preferred to use his press resistance and industry to help his side keep the ball and that conservative role helped Liverpool win the Premier League in 2019/20.

Agreeing on a fee with Leicester will be very tricky as Manchester United's negotiations with the Foxes in 2019 proved when they extracted £80million from the Old Trafford side.

They won't have that kind of luck with Liverpool as the Reds have Michael Edwards who has proved to be a master negotiator.