Youri Tielemans, Anderlecht Agree on New Contract: Latest Details and Reaction

RSC Anderlecht have confirmed that midfield starlet Youri Tielemans has extended his contract with the club.

The news was confirmed on Thursday by the team’s official Twitter feed, per Jack Pitt-Brooke of The Independent:  

The youngster had been linked with a host of European football’s top clubs earlier in the season, including Spanish champions Atletico Madrid, per Jorge Garcia of AS. But according to DW Sports, the 18-year-old sensation has put pen to paper on a new five-year deal with the Belgian giants.

Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Associated Press

Blessed with a stunning range of passing, an unrelenting industry and an in-game intelligence that far surpasses his tender years, Tielemans is one of European football’s brightest teenage prospects.

Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe is happy to see him renew, insisting a big summer switch would have been too early for him:

If he continues to turn in refined performances at the heart of Anderlecht’s midfield, it will not be long until European football’s finest come chasing him.

But from the Belgian Pro League club’s perspective, this deal will protect their own financial interests and ensure Tielemans remains at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium for a while yet. In the infancy of what will surely be a prosperous career, the decision to extend his contract seems like a sensible decision from an extremely impressive young footballer.