Manchester United are closing in on the surprise signing of Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa, according to the Athletic.
United are set to land Andrey Santos but are unlikely to pursue their interest in Ederson after the Brazilian failed a medical last week.
The Atalanta star had agreed a move to Old Trafford prior to the World Cup yet is now unlikely to complete a switch to Manchester.
United firm up Tielemans interest
And United quickly turned their attention to Villa star Tielemans, who has established himself as a key man for the Villans in recent season.
The Belgian netted in the Europa League final 3-0 win over Freiburg earlier this year and was instrumental as Belgium reached the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup, though he missed Friday’s 2-1 defeat to Spain owing to an injury sustained in the warm up.
And while Villa would be reluctant to cash in on the 29-year-old, United are now set to land Tielemans as part of their midfield rebuild having triggered the player’s £35m release clause.
Villa's midfield issues
Tielemans’ departure would come as a blow to Villa, who are already without Amadou Onana for a substantial chunk of the 2026/27 Premier League season.
Onana was forced off midway through the first half of Belgium’s 4-1 win over tournament co-hosts USA and is set to be sidelined until next year having suffered an ACL injury.
Villa, however, are closing in on the signing Johan Manzambi after his superb World Cup showings for Switzerland.
Manzambi had been set for a move to Newcastle, but the Magpies have missed out on the 20-year-old, who scored three times and provided two assists for Switzerland in North America.
