Manchester United are in advanced talks to sign Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans.
The 29-year-old, who reached the World Cup quarter-finals with Belgium, has a release clause of £35million and two years left on his contract.
It comes just days after Belgium lost 2-1 to Spain, a match Tielemans missed due to injury.
Admired for his vision and passing ability, Tielemans has been with Villa for three seasons and before that spent four-and-a-half years with Leicester including a loan spell.
United are also in the process of completing a £50million deal for Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos, who impressed on loan at Strasbourg last campaign.
Tielemans’ loss would come as a blow to Villa, who will need a deep squad after reaching the Champions League. They may also lose Lucas Digne, who Paris Saint-Germain are targeting, via a release clause.
Central midfield is one of the positions which Michael Carrick wants to bolster this summer.
United are, of course, losing Casemiro after four seasons and his presence will be missed given how he finished his Old Trafford career on a high.
Manuel Ugarte, who had been expected to leave the club, is also out of action with a long-term knee ligament injury suffered in the World Cup with Uruguay. He described it as ‘the most serious injury a footballer can face’.
It has not been a smooth summer for United. They have missed out on their principal midfield targets, Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes, after they joined Manchester City for £116m and Tottenham for £85m respectively.
The Reds have reportedly also abandoned their pursuit of Atalanta midfield Ederson, worth around £39m, due to fitness problems.
Tielemans would represent a strong signing with significant Premier League and European experience.
However, he is a departure from their typical profile of target these days. Last summer, all of their first-team signings were between the ages of 22 and 26.
Indeed, the last time they signed somebody older than Tielemans was in 2023, when they brought a 35-year-old Jonny Evans back to the club.
