Newcastle United could have a secret weapon in their reported interest in Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans. The Belgian midfielder is currently in the final year of his contract with the Foxes and looks likely to leave the King Power Stadium either in January or at the end of the season.
Although Arsenal flirted with the possibility of signing Tielemans in the summer, Newcastle are believed to be preparing a £15 million offer for the 25-year-old when the transfer window reopens in January.
The Foxes had previously rejected two bids from Newcastle for attacking midfielder James Maddison, but a familiar face in the Newcastle backroom staff could be vital in their attempts of persuading Tielemans to switch to St James' Park.
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According to the Mirror, Newcastle assistant Graeme Jones could be key in completing the deal due to his excellent relationship with Tielemans from their time together with the Belgium national team.
Jones worked as understudy to Roberto Martinez at Swansea City, Wigan Athletic and Everton respectively before serving under the Spaniard once again with the Red Devils in 2016. He spent two years coaching the likes of Thibaut Courtois, Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard and it's understood Jones could play an influential role in helping Newcastle land Tielemans.
Tielemans initially joined Leicester from AS Monaco on loan before signing for for a club record fee in the region £40 million in July 2019. The midfielder has posted 25 goals and 25 assists in 166 appearances in total for the Foxes and scored the winning goal against Chelsea in the 2021 FA Cup final at Wembley.
The Anderlecht academy product scored his first goal of the season from the penalty spot in Leicester's 6-2 drubbing at Tottenham Hotspur before the international break. Leicester have lost six successive matches in the Premier League and are rooted to the foot of the table with just a single point.
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