Where Manchester United, Leicester City, Monaco and Youri Tielemans stand on midfielder's transfer

A month has passed since the final match of Youri Tielemans' impressive loan spell at Leicester City and while the club immediately turned their attention to signing him on a permanent contract, a transfer from Monaco has not yet been agreed.

With big money on the table, a player's future at stake, and with plenty of interested parties, a deal was never likely to be straightforward, forcing City to be patient.

Here is the state of play as things stand.

City's view

Such was the brilliance of his loan stint, Tielemans is City’s number one summer target.

The 22-year-old scored three goals, set up five and generally proved to be the missing piece of the jigsaw.

As a result, City immediately began talks with Monaco over a permanent transfer and are willing to surpass their record fee − which currently stands at £30m for Islam Slimani − to bring in Tielemans.

City have put forward a proposal to Monaco, a £40m package that would see Portugal international Adrien Silva go the other way.

They’re now waiting for Monaco’s response but are cautiously optimistic of securing Tielemans’ signature before the new season.

Monaco's view

Monaco’s plan has worked perfectly.

Tielemans’ transfer from Anderlecht to the principality was not working out and manager Leonardo Jardim wanted a replacement.

But rather than sell Tielemans, Monaco loaned him to City (getting Silva in return), putting a valuable asset in the shop window.

Tielemans rediscovered his Anderlecht form at the King Power Stadium and now Monaco are almost certain to double their money on the £20m they paid for the Belgian, a player they no longer want.

To maximise their profit, Monaco are now holding out to see if any other interested parties will better City’s proposal.

Only City can offer Silva in return and Monaco are likely to be keen on the Portuguese, who helped guide them clear of Ligue 1 relegation and who gets on well with Jardim.

Manchester United’s view

One of the clubs that Monaco may be holding out for are Manchester United.

Reports from Belgium say United have been in touch with Tielemans’ representatives for the past month, with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a fan of the midfielder.

But, in a boost for City, the Red Devils are also considering other targets, while there are suggestions that a rival offer from United depends on Paul Pogba’s future at Old Trafford.

Tottenham have also reportedly been in contact with Tielemans' entourage, but it appears they are now looking elsewhere.

Tielemans’ view

Like his parent club, Tielemans wants to consider all options before making his decision.

However, prolonging his stay at Monaco is out of the question. Tielemans wants to leave, but is open-minded to his destination and is not fixated on the Premier League.

He has said he has been “pleasantly surprised” by the quality of the clubs that have been in touch with his agents, while he was “flattered” by links to Manchester United and Tottenham.

However, there are three broad criteria his new club must offer. Speaking while on international duty with Belgium, Tielemans said any prospective suitor must be playing in a top European league, must be able to offer him regular game-time and be in a location where he, his wife and young child can settle.

That bodes well for City, who could offer all three.

Also boding well for Leicester are Tielemans’ reflections on the club. He said: “I was very well received in Leicester.

“Things went very fast, but they put me at ease right away. I felt very good on the pitch, I had good team-mates and good coaches. I am grateful to the club for giving me a taste of the Premier League.

“Leicester is a large club, but at the same time very family-orientated.

“In my opinion, Leicester is also a top club, or it can become one. They have a lot of ambition there.”

Tielemans has hinted that a decision on his future will come in the next few weeks, but for the time-being, he’s on holiday, having just helped Belgium to a pair of victories in Euro 2020 qualifying.