Leicester have signed Youri Tielemans on loan from Monaco for the rest of the season, the Premier League side has announced.
Claude Puel’s side have pulled off a stunning piece of business, fending off competition from Arsenal, Tottenham, Newcastle and West Ham, by sending Adrien Silva in the opposite direction on the same terms.
Tielemans captained Monaco during the end of Thierry Henry’s stint as manager but Leonardo Jardim’s return has forced the Belgium international to find playing time elsewhere.
The pair endured a frosty relationship earlier in the season and Monaco immediately listed the 21-year-old available for loan after Henry was sacked and replaced by Jardim over the weekend.
“I’m really excited to get going. The Premier League is one of the best leagues in the world and when I was young, I always watched Premier League games,” he told the club’s official website.
“I’m really happy to be here and I’m excited to get started. It’s a big family. Everybody is really kind and really good with me. I think it will be really good here."
Part of the deal will also see Adrien Silva join Monaco on loan for the remainder of the season and the Portugal international previously worked under Jardim for a brief time at Sporting.
Silva has failed to make any impression at Leicester since making a £22m move to the club 18 months ago and will now have the chance to get regular football at Monaco.
Tielemans has scored five goals in 20 league appearances this season and is Monaco’s highest WhoScored rated player (6.94), of those to have made at least 10 appearances in Ligue 1.
