Manchester United were offered the opportunity to sign Youri Tielemans towards the end of 2018-19.The Belgian was leaving Monaco and Old Trafford was among the more favoured destinations. Paul Pogba’s future at United was uncertain, so there appeared a gap in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad.At the age of 21, Tielemans was coming off a successful four-month loan at Leicester City, having captained Anderlecht four years earlier, and was highly regarded in Europe. Leicester wanted to make his move permanent but Tielemans was minded to wait to see if United made a proper approach.Tielemans realised he would be a back-up to Pogba, who was told that June he would not be allowed to leave United, and so the Belgian mentally committed to returning to Leicester once he was back from his holiday.United decided against signing a midfielder that summer, instead moving for Donny van de Beek in 2020.Then, in the summer of 2022, according to sources, speaking — like others in this piece — on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, figures at United discussed Tielemans again. He had a year left on his Leicester contract and would have been available for a competitive fee. Erik ten Hag considered Tielemans a good player but preferred a different blend, sanctioning the free signing of Christian Eriksen and pushing strongly for Frenkie de Jong. United ended up signing Casemiro for an initial £60million.At that stage, club scouts seemed to have reservations on Tielemans, despite him scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup final a year earlier. Later, United’s recruitment department expressed doubts over Declan Rice’s suitability at the price of £100m.A third opportunity rolled around the following year when Tielemans was a free agent. He assessed his options as his contract at Leicester ticked down, yet many of Europe’s biggest sides harboured reservations. United, although they had long appreciated the player, never considered him, after he had been relegated with Leicester. They signed Mason Mount instead.“The timing was never good,” says one close observer. “Here, the stars aligned.”Pertinently, sources close to the player explained Tielemans’ agency and United had a relationship, so dialogue remained open. For instance, Tielemans’ agent, Bob Claes, was formerly the chief executive officer at Standard Liege.Although Villa would end up signing him at the age of 26, scouts and recruitment specialists insisted there was a perception that Tielemans’ best days were behind him. Even if, in theory, he should have been approaching the peak of his career, he had been a senior professional for a decade, having made his Anderlecht debut aged 16 years, two months and 21 days. It was felt by some in the industry that the matches were racking up — having played for the Brussels club, Monaco in France’s Ligue 1, and Leicester, plus over 50 senior internationals — which were taking a toll on his performances. Put plainly, he was burnt out. As Leicester were relegated from the Premier League, Tielemans’ form regressed at the worst possible time, with him entering free agency. To his surprise, this meant potential suitors — including United and Arsenal — whom he hoped to attract, fell away. Tielemans was relegated with Leicester in 2023 (Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)Villa took the opposite view and felt the quality he provided could not be ignored. Their recruitment team ran critical numbers on his data and the feedback suggested being part of a failing team was proving detrimental to his development, rather than any physical decline.Villa had initiated contact with the Belgian’s representatives in the January, five months before they signed him. He was their first-choice target for the No 8 position and when he was presented to Unai Emery as an option, he gave the green light.David Ornstein on Man United's move for Youri TielemansDavid OrnsteinEmery went to Tielemans’ house to convince him of the Villa project, with a high salary, due to him signing for nothing, a byproduct. Importantly, as Villa sources point out, a release clause was inserted at the request of the player’s side and the club felt it was essential for the move to be completed. It was a Catch-22. They felt, despite some of the top clubs falling away, there was still intense competition for his signature.“The biggest question marks surrounded his mobility and dynamism, but when Unai’s game is so much about positioning and structure, this alleviated those concerns,” says one senior source. “We essentially thought that ‘bigger’ clubs might look at his most recent and largely disappointing season for a relegated club and judge him on that more exclusively than taking a step back and looking at, or appreciating more deeply, the entirety of his career.”Members of Villa’s scouting team, who had been working at other Premier League clubs then, had been watching Tielemans since he was 16, when he was captaining Anderlecht. They were aware of positive character references and how well-regarded he was across Europe.“He’s just so good. What a player,” one Aston Villa employee told The Athletic last year, after Tielemans swept the club’s end-of-season awards for the 2024-25 campaign.Emery has huge respect for Tielemans, who spoke to the manager before his exit (Simon Galloway/Getty Images)Tielemans, technically, has never been doubted, but his durability and physicality have. It is what made his 2024-25 season so stellar and, in turn, why he banished the doubts in scouting circles. The 29-year-old made 52 starts in 53 appearances — playing 4,511 minutes across all competitions — becoming the first Villa player to start more than 50 times in a single season since Alan Wright and Mark Bosnich, a goalkeeper, did it in 1995-96.Injuries to his calf and ankle restricted Tielemans to 35 appearances last season. Yet, from Villa’s perspective, those injuries were seen as a deviation from the norm. It was why they were so keen to tie Tielemans down to a new contract. The Belgian had entered into his final two years this summer and Villa had a decision to make. Even though he was a high earner, they hoped he would renew otherwise they would have to sell. Villa were willing to adapt for Tielemans’ new deal, even if other players had been told they would have to wait until the summer unfolded for any extensions, owing to Villa’s tussle with various financial regulations. Before United activated the release clause and Amadou Onana sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury while with Belgium at the World Cup, Villa sources said they were not looking to recruit in midfield. But Tielemans had made up his mind. The fact he had a £35million release clause was a concern, especially as United, along with another Premier League club, plus teams in Saudi Arabia, had registered interest.Villa had to accept that for three years of service, without paying a transfer fee, there was a good chance a price would have to be paid for the concessions made in 2023. For Tielemans, a laser-focused individual with a burning ambition to play at the elite level, a release clause had to be inserted, ensuring he had options to leave.Such was the intended secrecy of the release clause, a key figure who worked on the agreement to bring Tielemans to Villa was unaware of it.United became aware of the mechanism, although their admiration was put on the back burner, with the pursuit of Ederson from Atalanta developing. United had agreed a deal worth €40.5m plus add-ons for the 27-year-old at the start of June, and personal terms had been finalised, but his late call-up to the Brazil squad delayed his medical.Concerns were raised over Ederson (Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)He had his first set of tests in the United States in early July, which showed a potential issue, but it was not until a further medical examination took place in England on Tuesday, July 7, including specialists, that United decided against proceeding with the transfer at the numbers agreed. This was when the move for Tielemans accelerated and it was only once United were sure of signing him from Villa, ahead of competitors, that they confirmed their stance on Ederson.As concerns were raised over Ederson, Tielemans’ representatives were in the United States, watching him at the World Cup.Tielemans had impressed, captaining the side and saving them from elimination against Senegal with a singular performance. United started to strengthen their interest in recruiting the midfielder.As a sign of his respect to Villa, having been informed of United’s overtures, Tielemans wanted to ensure negotiations were carried out, as one source puts it, “cleanly and correctly”. Before speaking to United, Tielemans was insistent on phoning Emery, wanting to tell him himself how he felt and that he wanted to speak with his suitors.Naturally, Emery was sad to be losing one of his most trusted lieutenants but understood Tielemans’ choice. Afterwards, his representatives spoke to Villa’s director of football, Damian Vidagany. Both parties share a good professional and personal relationship, with Vidagany’s sentiments echoing Emery’s. It was only recently that Tielemans first spoke to United and head coach Michael Carrick about where he would fit in tactically.In the meantime, United had progressed on bringing in Andrey Santos from Chelsea for £50m, meaning him and Tielemans have joined for the combined cost of the deal that took Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham Hotspur. United walked away from that £85m deal with West Ham.Tielemans’ release clause made a move straightforward. He completed his medical on Tuesday, with the announcement later on that day. He signed a five-year contract, by which time he will be 34.Some industry sources are surprised at the length of the deal given his age, and career games — he has 578 club appearances and 90 international caps. They suggest it is a consequence of the pressurised circumstances at United after the Fernandes and Ederson deals fell away. Others insist Tielemans is worth it, given his professionalism, which will help bring on younger players. They believe the overall cost of the transfer is still low considering his quality and experience, with him representing “no risk”.“A brilliant signing,” says one United source.Villa view Tielemans’ departure as a huge shame. Close observers all accept they will miss his quality but his professionalism, humility and discipline, which, alongside John McGinn and others, set the example for team-mates. But the overarching feeling is respect. Villa are keen to stress their admiration — his penultimate appearance came in the Europa League final, where he scored the opening goal of the 3-0 victory against Freiburg. This was reflected in Villa’s confirmation of Tielemans’ departure, paying tribute to a “popular and highly respected member of the dressing room”.Tielemans scores in the Europa League final for Villa (Stu Forster/Getty Images) It is likely Lucas Digne, another highly regarded professional, will receive similar affection when his departure to Paris Saint-Germain is confirmed.At 29, as those close to the player stated, this may have been the final opportunity for Tielemans to move to United — “this train will only pass once,” a source said. Having signed his contract, Tielemans asked his personal team to put together a leaving video, thanking Villa supporters and the club.Emery knew how to get the best out of him, in illuminating his strengths but, crucially, how to cover his weaknesses, designing a tactical structure that enabled Tielemans to punch passes into two No 10s and, out of possession, reduce the amount of distance he needed to cover.“His football is my style of football,” Tielemans told reporters in May. “His vision of football is really where I stand.”Villa are close to completing the agreement for Freiburg’s Johan Manzambi. He is not exactly a stylistic replacement for Tielemans but, according to some close observers, he could play alongside a defensively minded midfield partner. Joao Gomes is set to arrive too from Wolverhampton Wanderers.With Onana, Tielemans’ Belgium midfield partner, out long-term, Villa will have to redesign their midfield. As for United, they have swiftly signed a winner, a player of pedigree, and someone who can finesse and fine-tune their new-look midfield.