Leicester City are reportedly bracing themselves for an approach from Arsenal for midfielder Youri Tielemans in January.
The Belgium international was believed to have been one of the Gunners' top targets for engine room reinforcements in the summer, but a move to the Emirates Stadium never materialized.
Tielemans has now entered the final year of his contract at the King Power Stadium, and sporting director Edu supposedly held off on a summer move in the hope of striking a deal for a free transfer in 2023.
Tielemans remains a prominent member of Brendan Rodgers's first team despite his contract situation, but it is looking increasingly unlikely that he will pen an extension.
The 25-year-old will be free to discuss a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs from January onwards, while teams in the Premier League can attempt to engineer a cut-price winter deal.
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Arsenal have been expected to reignite their interest in the former Monaco starlet, while Barcelona and Liverpool have also been linked with a move for the soon-to-be free agent.
According to The Mirror, Leicester are expecting Arsenal to make one final push for Tielemans in January before the Belgian departs on a free transfer at the end of the season.
The report claims that Arsenal have never made a "concerted push" to prise Tielemans away from the King Power Stadium, but they are keen to avoid a multi-club tussle for his services in the summer.
A fee close to £20m may still be required to convince Leicester to sell, with the Foxes spending £40m to bring Tielemans to the Premier League from Monaco in 2019 after a successful loan spell.
When asked about his future prospects back in September, Tielemans affirmed that he had no regrets about staying at Leicester despite their difficult start to the season, and his family was settled in the East Midlands.
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"I'm not going to speak too much about my contract situation at the moment. My family is very happy there [in Leicester] and that's important. I didn't leave in the summer as I always said the project had to be the right one," Tielemans told reporters.
"Just because things are getting worse now at Leicester doesn't mean I should regret [staying]. Whether you are in your last contract year or not, it's also not the case that I talk to the club every day about my extension or not. That's work for my agent.
"In the end I will decide. There was talk of different clubs, but I won't go into that. I'm happy to get a bit of fresh air here [with Belgium] because it's tough at Leicester right now. It's clear that things are not going well at the club. We are doing everything we can as a team."
Tielemans has registered 27 goals and 25 assists in 175 appearances for Leicester since making the move from Ligue 1 in January 2019, and he has three goals and one assist under his belt from 15 Premier League matches this season.
Arsenal have also been tipped to bid for Palmeiras midfielder Danilo during the January transfer window, but the Brazilian is not thought to be a priority target for the Premier League leaders at the moment.
Mikel Arteta's side beat AC Milan 2-1 to win the Dubai Super Cup on Tuesday and now prepare for Saturday's friendly with Juventus before returning to Premier League action at home to West Ham United on Boxing Day.
Ben Knapton
