OPINION
When Monaco allowed Youri Tielemans to join Leicester City back in January, there must have been a fair few raised eyebrows.
The 22-year-old has widely been regarded as one of the most promising young midfielders in Europe since his days at Anderlecht, and the fact that he had fallen out of favour in the principality was always a little bit baffling.
That bemusement was only heightened by his fantastic displays for the Foxes in the second half of the Premier League season.
From the moment he set foot in England he was a real handful, constantly buzzing around the centre of the park with an energy and urgency that reaffirmed the hype surrounding him.
Now, however, his loan spell at Leicester has come to an end, and as far as tying him down to a deal for next season and beyond, it is open season.
And Tottenham fans will be delighted to hear that their side are one of the clubs looking to snap up the Belgian.
According to Football Insider, Spurs have opened discussions about the possibility of taking the youngster to north London.
It is understood that his parent club value him at over £40 million, but even at that price, signing him would be a real coup.
At just 22 he has already accumulated a wealth of top tier and international experience, with 21 caps to his name, and the signs are that he will only keep getting better and better.
Spurs need cover in the centre of the park, and they could do a whole lot worse than bringing in a player of Tielemans’ sizeable potential.