Manchester United have completed the signing of midfielder Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa on a five-year deal worth £35m.
United triggered a release clause to bring in the 29-year-old, who arrives at Old Trafford following a notable World Cup campaign with Belgium.
Tielemans helped Belgium reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup before his tournament ended prematurely through injury in the warm-up before their 2-1 defeat by Spain.
He scored a memorable 89th-minute equaliser against Senegal in the group stage, and then converted an extra-time penalty winner as Belgium triumphed 3-2.
That penalty proved to be his 15th international goal from 90 caps, underlining his consistent contribution at the highest level for his country.
Tielemans spent three seasons at Aston Villa following his initial move to the Premier League with Leicester City back in 2019.
The Belgian is perhaps best remembered for scoring Leicester’s winner against Chelsea in the 2021 FA Cup final, as well as netting for Villa in their Europa League final victory over Freiburg in May.
Despite being just 29, Tielemans has already accumulated an extraordinary 668 appearances for club and country, scoring 79 goals from 578 club games alone.
He made his senior debut for Anderlecht at just 16 years and 82 days old before departing for Monaco in 2017 shortly after his 20th birthday.
The midfielder is also reunited at United with first-team coach Jonny Evans, a former team-mate from their time together in the game.
Speaking on completing the move, Tielemans expressed his delight at joining one of English football’s most storied clubs.
“It’s hard to describe just how proud I am to join Manchester United,” he said. “Signing for such a special club feels incredible.”
“It is the culmination of years of dedication since I first fell in love with football,” he added.
United’s director of football Jason Wilcox was equally enthusiastic, highlighting the quality Tielemans brings to the squad.
“Youri has consistently been one of the most outstanding midfielders in the Premier League throughout the past seven years,” Wilcox said.
“He has all of the technical qualities, as well as the ambition and mentality, to thrive at Manchester United,” he continued.
“Youri’s consistency is exceptional, and he will add further composure, creativity and leadership to our squad,” Wilcox added.
Last season proved a frustrating one for Tielemans, who was limited to just 35 appearances in all competitions for Villa due to separate calf and ankle problems.
Despite those injury concerns, United have moved decisively to secure his signature as they look to strengthen their midfield options ahead of the new campaign.
