Manchester United have completed the signing of Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa on a five-year deal.
United have met a release clause of £35m for the 29-year-old midfielder, who has just helped Belgium reach the World Cup quarter-finals.
Tielemans has spent the past three seasons with Villa, having initially moved to the Premier League to join Leicester City in 2019.
“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.”
Tielemans will wear the number 18 shirt vacated by fellow midfielder Casemiro, who left Old Trafford when his contract expired at the end of the season.
A former team-mate of United’s current first-team coach Jonny Evans, Tielemans is noted for scoring Leicester’s winner against Chelsea in the 2021 FA Cup final and for Aston Villa in their Europa League final triumph over Freiburg in May.
He made his senior debut for Anderlecht aged 16 years and 82 days, and left for Monaco in 2017, just after his 20th birthday.
Despite still being in his 20s, Tielemans has already played 668 games for club and country, scoring 79 from 578 club appearances.
United’s director of football Jason Wilcox said: “Youri has consistently been one of the most outstanding midfielders in the Premier League throughout the past seven years.
“He has all of the technical qualities, as well as the ambition and mentality, to thrive at Manchester United.
“Youri’s consistency is exceptional, and he will add further composure, creativity and leadership to our squad.”
Last season, Tielemans suffered separate calf and ankle problems that restricted him to 35 appearances in all competitions for Villa, the lowest number in a campaign during his time in England.
He scored a memorable 89th-minute equaliser at the World Cup for Belgium against Senegal, and then converted an extra-time winner from the penalty spot for his 15th goal from 90 caps as they won 3-2.
But his tournament came to a premature end when he was injured in the warm-up before Belgium’s 2-1 quarter-final defeat by Spain.
Tielemans’ signing follows that of fellow midfielder Andrey Santos and goalkeeper Karl Darlow, while a move for Atalanta midfielder Ederson has been put on hold.
We’ve got the edge. Get real-time reports, breaking scoops, and exclusive angles delivered straight to your phone. Don’t settle for stale news. Join LEADERSHIP NEWS on WhatsApp for 24/7 updates →
