Youri Tielemans: Manchester United in talks to sign Aston Villa and Belgium midfielder

Manchester United are closing in on the signing of Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa for a fee in the region of £36m.

Sky Sports News understands the midfielder has a release clause in his contract that is being triggered by United.

Discussions are advancing quickly after Belgium's exit from the World Cup.

Tielemans, 29, has been at Villa since 2023, when he joined on a free transfer from Leicester, and has made 134 appearances for the club, scoring 10 times.

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During that time, Villa have twice qualified for the Champions League, reached the quarter-finals in that competition and won the Europa League last season under Unai Emery, with Tielemans opening the scoring in the final against Freiburg.

Before joining Villa, Tielemans won the FA Cup and Community Shield at Leicester.

United have already signed Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos in a £50m deal, while a move for Atalanta midfielder Ederson could be revisited.

United agreed a £38m deal to sign the Brazil international - who featured for his country at the World Cup - and was set to sign a four-year deal at the club with an option to extend his stay for an additional 12 months.

United are not ruling out signing Ederson this summer despite a breakdown in the deal over a medical issue.

United denied the deal was off to Sky Sports News last week following reports, although it will not progress on the initial price and structure.

It remains possible they return for him before the window is over, depending on how the market develops. But Sky Sports News can confirm Andrey Santos has not been signed as an alternative to Ederson.

'Villa do not want to sell but they have no choice'

Sky Sports News' Dharmesh Sheth:

"Why would Aston Villa want to sell Tielemans? They don't want to sell. They have got no intention of selling Youri Tielemans. However, they have been hamstrung slightly because part his contract contains a release clause, which we understand to be around £36m, which Manchester United are prepared to pay.

"This one is going to accelerate, and it has accelerated since Belgium were knocked out of the World Cup by Spain last week, and since that has happened, Manchester United put the wheels in motion.

"And when you have a release clause and a club is prepared to meet it, this kind of deal can move very quickly. That is what looks like is happening now.

"The big priority throughout this transfer window has been midfield at Old Trafford. They need to sign maybe two midfielders. We could even see Manchester United trying to sign three midfielders in this transfer window.

"Even before the transfer window opened - because we knew Casemiro was going to be leaving - and now there's the added complication that Manuel Ugarte has got a serious knee injury that he suffered during the World Cup with Uruguay.

"Manchester United might have been prepared to listen to offers for someone like Ugarte to free up some squad space, some wage space and some transfer fee money to come into the club to be able to to fund other midfield moves.

"But it's clear Ugarte isn't going anywhere at the moment and it's clear he's not going to be playing for Manchester United, having that serious knee injury.

"So United are in the market for two, maybe even three, midfielders. Youri Tielemans looks like he could be one of them."

Analysis: Tielemans is ready made, reliable midfield option

Sky Sports' Sam Blitz and William Bitibiri:

Aston Villa have a lot of gems in their team - Emiliano Martinez, Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers to name a few. But ask any Villa fan who their most important player is and most will say Youri Tielemans.

Many concluded that Villa's exit from the Premier League title race in February coincided with Tielemans' ankle injury. They went from a team who won 10 out of 13 league games to a side who lost four out of their next seven.

So missed when absent, the Belgian is a crucial cog in the Villa midfield due to his all-round control. He's outstanding in the duels - with one of the best tackle-success rates among Premier League midfielders - but he's also pivotal on the ball.

Tielemans is capable of breaking the lines and providing that killer pass. His through-ball numbers place him among the most creative players in the Premier League.

Tielemans has emerged as a shock candidate to anchor Manchester United's midfield rebuild but he's one that arguably ticks more boxes than anyone else on the Old Trafford shortlist.

For a club preparing for the toils of the Champions League, alongside a desire to better their current Premier League position, Tielemans represents the ready made option that proved so successful for United last season.

Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha raised United's level last season and were examples of astute business from INEOS.

The 29-year-old would join with a CV as impressive as his goal repertoire. He scored the winner in Leicester's FA Cup triumph in 2021, delivered again in Aston Villa's Europa League victory last season and captained Belgium at the 2026 World Cup.

Tielemans brings composure in possession, leadership with or without the armband and has done it all at the highest level.

INEOS are planning for the long term but that shouldn't come at the detriment to what United want to achieve immediately. Tielemans is an obvious fit and may be an early shout for signing of the summer.

(c) Sky Sports 2026: Youri Tielemans: Manchester United in talks to sign Aston Villa and Belgium midfielder