Fabrizio Romano continues to insist Youri Tielemans will leave on a free transfer next summer, despite some recent contract extension reports.

The Daily Mail wrote last week that Leicester City were quietly confident they’ll be able to avoid losing Youri Tielemans on a free transfer by convincing him to sign a new contract beyond 2023. However, Fabrizio Romano disagrees.

Writing for CaughtOffside, Romano claims the priority for Tielemans remains to find a new club on a free transfer. Nothing has changed on that.

The reporter adds that Arsenal had a big chance to sign Tielemans last summer, but they opted to go in a different direction at the time.

Tielemans’ contract expires at the end of the season, leaving three options.

Either Leicester City extend his deal before the summer, they sell him in January, or they’ll lose him on a free transfer in the summer.

Brendan Rodgers appeared to rule out the option of a January sale earlier this month, whilst speaking to the media before Leicester City’s match against West Ham.

“It’s not something we are thinking of [selling Tielemans] and not anything the club have said we need to do,” Rodgers said. “We don’t want to be offloading our best players, that’s for sure.”

With Romano continuing to insist a contract extension is off the table, that seemingly only leaves a free transfer for Tielemans.

Arsenal were linked with Tielemans throughout the summer window, so perhaps they’ll be one of those making an offer. But the Gunners’ circumstances look like they’ll be very different in 2023, with a return to Champions League football a real possibility.

It remains to be seen how that achievement might affect their summer targets.