Man Utd sign Tielemans for £35m from Aston Villa

July 15, 2026

Manchester United have completed the signing of Belgium international Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa after activating the midfielder’s £35 million release clause.

The 29-year-old has signed a five-year contract at Old Trafford following an impressive spell with Villa, where he spent the past three seasons after joining from Leicester City in 2023. Before moving to England, Tielemans began his professional career with Anderlecht before a stint at Monaco.

Expressing his delight, Tielemans described the move as a dream come true, saying he was immensely proud to join Manchester United and that signing for the club marked the fulfilment of years of hard work and dedication.

The Belgian midfielder will wear the No. 18 shirt, previously worn by Casemiro before the Brazilian’s departure at the end of last season.

Tielemans has built a reputation as one of the Premier League’s most accomplished midfielders, memorably scoring Leicester City’s winner against Chelsea in the 2021 FA Cup final before helping Aston Villa lift the UEFA Europa League title in May with another decisive goal in the final.

Despite still being in his twenties, he has amassed 668 senior appearances for club and country, scoring 79 goals, including 15 for Belgium in 90 international appearances.

Manchester United’s director of football, Jason Wilcox, praised the midfielder’s consistency, technical quality and leadership, saying Tielemans would bring composure, creativity and valuable experience to the squad.

Although injuries to his calf and ankle limited him to 35 appearances for Villa last season, Tielemans impressed at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He scored twice for Belgium, including a dramatic late equaliser against Senegal and the winning penalty in extra time, before his tournament ended prematurely after suffering an injury in the warm-up ahead of Belgium’s quarter-final defeat to Spain.

His arrival follows United’s recent signings of midfielder Andrey Santos and goalkeeper Karl Darlow, while negotiations for Atalanta midfielder Ederson have reportedly been placed on hold.

United’s pursuit of Tielemans reflects the club’s data-driven recruitment strategy. Having previously passed up opportunities to sign him in 2019 and again in 2023, the club finally moved this summer as part of efforts to strengthen its midfield while maintaining discipline in the transfer market.