A story behind Youri Tielemans’ discreet move from Aston Villa has finally been revealed, and while it may be surprising, it is understandable.
The almost silent and secretive move of Youri Tielemans from Villa Park to Old Trafford appears to have its own explanation. It all began not before the World Cup, but much earlier, at the end of the 2018/19 season.
It seemingly involved a discreet connection, the player’s ambition, and Manchester United themselves. They have all been part of Tielemans’ long-term plan. However, only this summer was the timing finally right.
Nevertheless, the Belgian midfielder never forgot to show his appreciation for Unai Emery. The Aston Villa boss has been highly praised by Tielemans for unlocking his potential, as reported by The Athletic.
“His football is my style of football. His vision of football is really where I stand.”
Manchester United have long admired the Belgian international. They have tried to sign him three times before this summer. The first attempt came in the summer of 2019. Tielemans was still on loan at Leicester City from Monaco. United were keen on him, and he was waiting for them to make a move.
However, despite Ole Solskjaer’s side showing interest, the move did not materialise because the Belgian would not have played regularly, as he would only have been Paul Pogba’s deputy. Thus, he signed a permanent contract with the Foxes. The interesting part was that Tielemans’ representatives and United remained in contact after that.
The second attempt came in the summer of 2022. United’s interest remained, but they did not make a concrete move. Instead, the Red Devils under Erik ten Hag opted to sign Christian Eriksen and Casemiro, even though they cost more than Tielemans, whose contract had only one year remaining.
The third opportunity came in the summer of 2023, when his contract expired and the Foxes were relegated. Although United still retained an interest, they did not seriously consider signing him. Instead, they turned their attention to Mason Mount.
This was when Villa stepped in and moved quickly to sign him. The Lions’ approach had actually begun in January, five months before the end of the 2022/23 season. Emery himself visited Tielemans’ home to present his project and convince him to join Villa Park, which ultimately proved successful.
Fans might wonder why Villa included such a low release clause for a player of Tielemans’ quality. In reality, the situation was quite different from what many believed.
The £35 million release clause was, in fact, included at Tielemans’ own request during contract negotiations. It allowed him to keep his options open should the right opportunity arise.
The club were racing against time to complete the deal, as other teams were also monitoring him, and Tielemans would not have signed unless that confidential release clause had been included. It was his preferred condition because Villa did not have to pay a transfer fee for him anyway.
The Clarets and Blue had already planned to offer him a contract extension. Unfortunately, they did not act quickly enough. Villa’s only mistake was perhaps that they should have done so sooner, possibly after their Europa League triumph.
The UEFA SCR fine, which emerged during the World Cup, placed Villa in a difficult position. They could not make a swift decision on extending his contract without first considering player sales to balance the books. By the time Belgium’s World Cup campaign ended, Tielemans had already decided to let United activate the release clause before it was too late, as other clubs, including teams from Saudi Arabia, had also begun making approaches.
Despite quietly orchestrating his preferred move to Old Trafford behind the scenes, the former Monaco midfielder still tried to keep Villa informed. He was determined to call Emery personally before his representative eventually handled the formalities and contacted Damian Vidagany regarding the transfer.
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