Barcelona are keeping a close eye on Leicester star Youri Tielemans as they plot a major midfield spending spree in the coming months.
Manager Ronald Koeman has been looking for a new midfielder ever since he joined the club in 2020, but his 12-month pursuit of Georginio Wijnaldum failed as the Dutchman eventually signed with Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.
The boss has since missed out on Saul Niguez and lost young starlet Ilaix Moriba to RB Leipzig, but he remains desperate to bring in a new midfielder and links to Tielemans were first brought to light by Fabrizio Romano.
Mundo Deportivo have now backed that up, stating that scouts are monitoring the Belgian's situation at Leicester to see whether he could be available.
The 24-year-old has been outstanding in Brendan Rodgers' side but has entered the final two years of his contract, and this report claims that he is not keen to sign an extension as he wants to play for a side who can consistently compete for silverware.
90min understands that Leicester are still confident of convincing Tielemans to pen fresh terms, with talks ongoing. However, nothing is confirmed yet.
Barcelona have voiced their interest in Tielemans, but so have Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid, so there is expected to be a significant battle for his signature next summer if he continues to postpone contract talks.
Those in charge at Camp Nou are keen to bring Tielemans in but are believed to have some other targets higher on their wish list, including Leipzig's Dani Olmo, for whom Barcelona failed with a late bid during the summer.
"There was no time to even think about a change, everything was off the table too quickly for that," Olmo told Suddeutsche Zeitung of Barcelona's late bid. "For now, I'm focused on the entire season with Leipzig, I'm happy here."
Recently described as Barcelona's 'priority for 2022', it is thought that Barcelona could move for Olmo once the January transfer window opens, with talk of a bid worth around €70m (£60m).
Source : 90min