Manchester United are set to finalise a deal to sign Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa due to the midfielder’s £35million release clause.
Tielemans is under contract until June 2028 and Villa have no desire to sell him, having offered him new terms months ago, but they have little choice because of the mechanism.
United have identified an opportunity to land the 29-year-old midfielder and, despite interest from elsewhere, he favours a move to Old Trafford.
Contact is ongoing between all parties to finalise the transfer, which comes as something of a surprise but would add much-needed quality and experience to an area of the field United have been prioritising this summer.
Their pursuit follows United’s decision to abandon a move for Atalanta midfielder Ederson at present.
A deal worth €40.5million ($47m; £35m) fixed plus €4.5m ($5m; £4m) of potential add-ons was struck for Ederson last month, while personal terms with the Brazil international had also been agreed.
Initial medical tests were conducted before Ederson received a late call-up to his country’s World Cup squad.
United continued background work in the meantime and that enabled them to pivot quickly when the second round of medical checks were completed post-tournament.
They may look to revisit the situation later in the transfer window — efforts to strengthen Michael Carrick’s midfield go beyond Tielemans and the recent acquisition of Andrey Santos from Chelsea — although it is unclear if Atalanta and Ederson would do the same.
Tielemans joined Villa from Leicester City on a free transfer in the summer of 2023 and he has two years left on his contract.
He was an important part of the Villa side that qualified for the Champions League and won the Europa League during the 2025-26 campaign, providing two goals and seven assists across 35 appearances in all competitions.
The Athletic reported this month Unai Emery wanted to build around the Villa midfield three of Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana — however the latter will be out for a significant period having torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during Belgium’s World Cup win over the United States.
Tielemans captained Belgium during their run to the quarter-finals, only to miss Friday’s defeat by Spain after picking up an injury in the warm-up. He scored twice in Belgium’s 3-2 comeback win against Senegal in the round of 32.
United’s midfield focus follows the departure of Casemiro, while Manuel Ugarte damaged knee ligaments during Uruguay’s World Cup group-stage loss to Spain.
They have recruited Santos for £48million plus £2m in bonuses and were interested in England international Elliot Anderson, who instead joined Manchester City for £116million ($153m).
United also pursued Mateus Fernandes before Tottenham Hotspur met West Ham United’s £85million (€98m, $112m) valuation.
United continue to target Premier League talent
Analysis from Manchester United correspondent Mark Critchley
If United’s deal for Ederson is to run aground, then there are few alternatives with as much quality and experience as Tielemans.
At 29, the Belgium international is older than many of the other options United have considered as part of this summer’s midfield rebuild.
But Premier League know-how has been a theme of the Old Trafford hierarchy’s business over the past two summers and United would be signing a player who has spent eight largely successful seasons in the English top flight.
But Tielemans’ release clause represents an opportunity to swoop for proven quality at a cut price, for a player with many of the attributes that United have been looking for in a midfield reinforcement.
The Aston Villa midfielder is an excellent progressive passer, capable of breaking lines and moving the ball from one end of the pitch to the other — a responsibility that has too often fallen solely on Bruno Fernandes’ shoulders at United.
Tielemans is more than capable out of possession too, winning duels and covering ground to help fill United’s Casemiro-shaped hole.
