Man Utd in advanced talks to sign Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa for £35m

Manchester United are on the verge of pulling off a transfer coup, as negotiations with Aston Villa’s Youri Tielemans have reached what have been described as “advanced talks,” according to David Ornstein. In a dramatic twist to their summer recruitment drive, United are now close to securing the Belgian international’s signature, with all parties reportedly working to finalise the deal.

The Red Devils’ pursuit of midfield reinforcements has been anything but straightforward. After missing out on top target Elliot Anderson and being priced out of moves for Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali—both of whom opted for Tottenham Hotspur—INEOS have faced mounting pressure to strengthen Manchester United’s engine room. While a deal worth up to £50 million for Chelsea’s Andrey Santos is in place, the club’s search for at least two, potentially three, new midfield options has dominated headlines.

Tielemans, aged 29 and boasting 90 caps for Belgium, has long been on United’s radar, with interest dating back to his days at Leicester City. Ornstein reports that the midfielder is “keen” on the move, and the deal is progressing rapidly. The Daily Telegraph’s John Percy has added that United will trigger a £35 million release clause in Tielemans’ Aston Villa contract to secure his services. According to Samuel Luckhurst, Manchester United’s correspondent at The Sun, Tielemans is set to undergo a medical on Tuesday, signalling a swift conclusion to the transfer saga.

This aggressive move comes as United’s pursuit of Atalanta’s Ederson faltered. Despite a £35 million fee being agreed before the World Cup, concerns about Ederson’s right knee following medical checks led United to back away from the deal. Italian sources confirm that Atalanta received formal notification that the transfer was off, though the Serie A club maintains that Ederson is “100 per cent fit” and ready to play, as demonstrated by his performances with Brazil at the World Cup. The Brazilian midfielder, now set to return to Atalanta with only one year left on his contract, is reportedly disappointed by the collapse of his “dream move” and has left England for a break before reporting back to his club.

Nonetheless, Ornstein hints that United may yet revisit the Ederson deal later in the transfer window if other targets are not secured. For now, however, all momentum is behind the Tielemans acquisition, which would see United land one of the Premier League’s most versatile and technically gifted midfielders. Tielemans, instrumental in Aston Villa’s Europa League triumph last season—where he scored in the final—is now poised to end his Villa Park tenure after 134 appearances under Unai Emery.