Manchester United are on the verge of a shock move for Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans, with the club set to trigger his £35 million release clause. The Athletic reports that talks between all parties are at an advanced stage, and the Belgium captain is keen on a switch to Old Trafford.
Midfield overhaul at United
Michael Carrick has been seeking multiple midfield reinforcements this summer following the departure of Casemiro and injury to Manuel Ugarte. While Andrey Santos is expected to arrive from Chelsea, United recently abandoned a £39 million move for Atalanta's Ederson due to fitness concerns over the Brazilian. Tielemans now emerges as the alternative.
Villa are reluctant to lose their star midfielder, who has two years remaining on his contract, but the release clause leaves them resigned to his exit. Tielemans scored the opening goal in Villa's Europa League final win over Freiburg just months ago.
Premier League pedigree
The 29-year-old brings extensive Premier League experience, having previously starred for Leicester City where he scored the winning goal in the 2021 FA Cup final against Chelsea. After Leicester's relegation in 2023, Tielemans joined Villa on a free transfer and has been instrumental under Unai Emery, helping Villa qualify for the Champions League in two of the past three seasons.
At the World Cup, Tielemans scored twice in Belgium's comeback victory over Senegal but missed their quarter-final defeat to Spain due to a warm-up injury.
Blow for Villa
Tielemans' departure would devastate Emery, who is already without midfielder Amadou Onana after he tore his ACL at the World Cup. The blow comes less than 24 hours after Villa hijacked Newcastle's move for Swiss midfielder Johan Manzambi, signing him from Freiburg for £60 million.
