Man Utd Move on From Ederson Pursuit With Perfect Cut-Price Alternative
Manchester United are closing in on the signing of Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans following their decision to walk away from Atalanta’s Éderson.
United had a full agreement to sign Éderson but are understood to have walked away after an issue with his medical.The Athletic’s David Ornstein first reported the focus is now on Tielemans, with talks between United, Villa and Tielemans at an advanced stage. The Telegraph describes a transfer as “very likely.”
Working in United’s favor is a release clause in Tielemans’s contract which is said to stand at just £35 million ($47 million), meaning the Red Devils do not even need to negotiate with Villa to get a deal done.
Villa are believed to have tried to keep hold of Tielemans, even offering the 29-year-old a new contract, but United have triggered his release clause and are on the cusp of wrapping up his signing.
New SI FC Newsletter Global Embed. Sign Up to Get Informed With SI FC. dark. FREE NEWSLETTER
Why Man Utd Would Want to Sign Tielemans
United’s desire to rebuild in midfield is no secret. Casemiro has departed on a free transfer and Manuel Ugarte, who was up for sale, is out long-term with a knee ligament injury—leaving Kobbie Mainoo as the only natural central midfielder in Michael Carrick’s squad.
A deal to sign Andrey Santos from Chelsea is complete already but he was never likely to be the only new face in United’s midfield. With Éderson no longer joining, another new signing was needed and United have wisely settled on Tielemans.
Tielemans has enjoyed several excellent years with Villa and, with his time with Leicester City factored in as well, is on the cusp of 250 Premier League appearances. Not only is he experienced in England, but he has spent three of his eight seasons in the division playing towards the very top.
Considering he still has two years left on his contract with Villa, Tielemans’s true market value sits far higher than the sum of his release clause—news of the clause has stunned a number of Villa fans—making this a real bargain for United and taking the pressure off everyone involved. Had United spent a nine-figure sum on a new midfielder, the expectations would be through the roof.
Is Tielemans a Good Signing for Man Utd?
Tielemans is an excellent pick-up for United, although questions will be asked over his fit under Carrick.
Carrick played two deep midfielders last season, one of whom was Mainoo, the player who would appear most stylistically similar to Tielemans in United’s current squad. Playing the two together is obviously possible but does not provide elite defensive cover, with Tielemans’s limited agility a known weakness in his game.
Santos would be the most defensive-minded of the trio but is still more of a box-to-box player, meaning United would still be lacking a pure replacement for Casemiro or Ugarte, assuming the latter is allowed to leave.
What is also unclear, however, is whether this would be the end of United’s midfield rebuild. Deals for Santos and Tielemans come in significantly cheaper than, for example, Manchester City’s acquisition of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116 million. United were known to be willing to come somewhere close to that fee for the England international and may still have that sort of money left over for another target.
READ THE LATEST MAN UTD NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC
feed