Manchester United have activated the £35 million release clause of Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans, with the Belgium captain set to join the club. Personal terms are not expected to be an issue as Tielemans makes the biggest move of his career after eight seasons in the Premier League with Leicester City and Villa.
Three more signings lined up
United have also secured three additional transfers. Free agent goalkeeper Karl Darlow, who left Leeds United last month, will replace Altay Bayindir as the new No.2 to Senne Lammens. Andrey Santos is set to join from Chelsea for £50 million (£48m plus £2m in add-ons), having passed a medical and agreed personal terms on a long-term contract. Colombian under-17 international Cristian Orozco, who turned 18 on Monday, can now be officially registered and will join the under-21s.
Ederson deal off
The imminent arrivals of Tielemans and Santos mean that Atalanta's Ederson will not be joining United. A knee problem was spotted in his medical tests, leading United to renegotiate with Atalanta, who are now ready to offer Ederson a new contract. Carrick has missed out on other midfield targets including Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali (both joined Tottenham for £185m combined), and Aurelien Tchouameni (signed a new contract at Real Madrid).
