Manchester United are in advanced talks to sign Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa.Tielemans is under contract until June 2028 but United have identified an opportunity to land the 29-year-old midfielder and, despite interest from elsewhere, he favours a move to Old Trafford.Contact is ongoing between all parties to finalise the transfer, which comes as something of a surprise but would add much-needed quality and experience to an area of the field United have been prioritising this summer.Their pursuit follows the decision to abandon a move for Atalanta midfielder Ederson at present.A deal worth €40.5million ($47m; £35m) fixed plus €4.5m ($5m; £4m) of potential add-ons was struck last month, while personal terms with the Brazil international had also been agreed.Initial medical tests were conducted before Ederson received a late call-up to his country’s World Cup squad.United continued background work in the meantime and that enabled them to pivot quickly when the second round of medical checks were completed post-tournament.They may look to revisit the situation later in the transfer window — efforts to strengthen Michael Carrick’s midfield go beyond Tielemans and the recent acquisition of Andrey Santos from Chelsea — although it is unclear if Atalanta and Ederson would do the same.