Manchester United have confirmed the signing of Belgium midfielder Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa on a five-year contract.
Tielemans, who captained his country at the World Cup, still had two years to run on his Villa contract, and it is understood United have paid a £35million transfer fee.
The 29-year-old is United’s third summer signing after the arrivals of midfielder Andrey Santos from Chelsea and goalkeeper Karl Darlow from Leeds, the latter completing his move to Old Trafford earlier on Tuesday.
Tielemans said: “It’s hard to describe just how proud I am to join Manchester United. Signing for such a special club feels incredible, it is the culmination of years of dedication since I first fell in love with football.
“I have had the privilege of experiencing success in the game and it has only increased my determination to achieve more.
“The ambition from everyone at the club is extremely clear; we are all determined to push for the biggest trophies over the coming years.”
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Tielemans, who helped Belgium reach the World Cup quarter-finals, joined Villa on a free transfer from Leicester in 2023 and played a key role for Unai Emery’s side, who qualified for the Champions League last season and won the Europa League.
He has made more than 130 appearances in all competitions for the West Midlands club, including 35 last season, in which he scored two goals and made seven assists.
Tielemans missed Belgium’s 2-1 defeat to Spain in the last eight after sustaining an injury in the warm-up, later reported to be a hamstring strain.
United have prioritised midfield strengthening following the departure of Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte’s knee ligament injury sustained in Uruguay’s group-stage defeat to Spain at the World Cup.
They agreed a £50million deal with Chelsea last week for Brazilian midfielder Santos, while United’s bid to sign midfielder Ederson from Atalanta has stalled following his late call into Brazil’s World Cup squad.
A £39million fee and personal terms had been agreed for Ederson, but United have switched focus, for now, to seal a move for Tielemans.
