Youri Tielemans reveals why he chose to leave Aston Villa for Man Utd

The Belgian midfielder completed his switch in July 2026 while away with Belgium at the World Cup. United triggered the 35-million-pound release clause in his Villa contract, securing the 29-year-old on a five-year agreement.

The transfer marked the third occasion United had seriously explored signing Tielemans. Their first approach came in 2019, after he caught the eye during his loan spell at Leicester City. The club returned for him in 2022 as they struggled to land Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

Tielemans joined Villa on a free transfer in 2023 after spells with Leicester and AS Monaco, where he played from 2017 to 2019. At Leicester, he became a club legend by scoring the winning 30-yard strike against Chelsea in the 2021 FA Cup final.

"There had been two times that I spoke with the club, but it did not achieve anything," said Tielemans.

"I was very calm. I was not expecting much this summer, to be fair. I was just focused on my football, focused on the World Cup and trying to perform my best for my country.

"But you know every summer something can happen and obviously I was aware of the clause.

"I am very thankful to Aston Villa. I owe them the world. It is a great club, we did amazing things and they have put me back to my best level. But there are clubs above Villa, and Manchester United is one of them.

"It is a great achievement for any footballer to end up here. It means you have done well in your career. But it does not end there. I want to be successful." 

READ MORE: Chelsea complete Pep Chavarria signing from Rayo Vallecano to fill Marc Cucurella void