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FourFourTwo
FourFourTwo
Sport
Ewan Gennery

Manchester United close in on surprise deal to sign Youri Tielemans: report

Youri Tielemans of Aston Villa gives a thumbs-up during the match against Fulham, May 2025.

Manchester United are closing in on a deal for Youri Tielemans.

The Red Devils are back in the Champions League after a two year absence and are looking to bolster their squad in order to keep up with the demands of European football.

Veteran midfielder Casemiro left at the end of the season following the expiry of his contract, and Michael Carrick has made it a number one priority to fill the void he will leave.

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Manchester United close in on deal to sign Tielemans

Man Utd head coach Michael Carrick (Image credit: Getty Images)

Casemiro played 35 games for Manchester United last season, scoring some incredibly important goals as they returned to the Champions League.

The lack of any European football and early cup exits meant a slightly smaller squad could be managed for injuries easier, but a return to Europe’s premier competition means reinforcements are needed.

Casemiro waves goodbye to the Old Trafford crowd (Image credit: Getty Images)

The first of those reinforcements seems to be coming in the shape of Tielemans.

The Belgian international was captain of his country for the 2026 World Cup and was an integral part of the Aston Villa team who finished just behind Man United in fourth last season as well as winning the Europa League.

Reliable transfer journalist David Ornstein has confirmed that the Red Devils are in talks with the 29-year-old midfielder, who is keen on the move to Old Trafford.

Man United will trigger his £35 million release clause, making the transfer relatively straight forward to complete.

Tielemans' arrival will follow that of Chelsea’s Andrey Santos, with a deal being agreed last week to take the Brazilian to the north west of England.

Youri Tielemans was one of Aston Villa's standout players last season (Image credit: Getty Images)

Although he struggled with some injury problems last season, Tielemans scored Aston Villa’s opening goal in their 3-0 win in the Europa League final with a fine volley from a well worked set-piece.

In FourFourTwo’s view, this is a good move for all parties involved. Manchester United will be getting a player with huge amounts of experience, whilst Aston Villa can cash in on an asset and help ease some financial problems they may have.

Transfermarkt currently value Tielemans at €30 million. If he joins he will likely join up in latter stages of Man United’s pre-season, likely facing Atletico Madrid or PSG in August.

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