MU has just finalized the signing of a Belgian World Cup player and simultaneously announced a new £50 million recruit.

The £35 million release clause has been activated by MU for Aston Villa's Youri Tielemans. Furthermore, MU has announced the signing of Andrey Santos.

Aston Villa were reluctant to let the Belgian international go and offered him a new contract. However, the release clause in his deal paved the way for MU to proceed with the transfer, and negotiations are now being expedited.

Tielemans, 29, recently helped Belgium reach the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup but missed the 1-2 defeat to Spain due to injury.

Highly regarded for his tactical awareness and passing skills, Tielemans has spent three seasons at Aston Villa. Prior to that, he played four and a half years for Leicester City, including a loan period.

This is a hectic period for Aston Villa. Mail Sport reported on Monday that defender Lucas Digne is a target for Paris Saint-Germain in a similar move. Meanwhile, the Midlands club is nearing a club-record deal to sign Swiss talent Johan Manzambi for an expected fee of nearly £60 million.

Losing Tielemans would be a major setback for Aston Villa, especially as they need squad depth to compete in the Champions League.

Aston Villa is bound by strict UEFA financial rules, where football expenditure cannot exceed revenue. Hence, to finalize the Manzambi deal, they must sell players, and letting go of both Digne and Tielemans would help balance the finances.

Both players have two years left on their contracts. Digne is 32, while Tielemans is 29. Notably, the transfer fee for Tielemans counts as pure profit since Aston Villa signed him on a free transfer. Nevertheless, both are key figures in Unai Emery's squad, and the Spanish coach certainly does not want to lose them.

Meanwhile, MUhas completed a £50 million move to sign midfielder Andrey Santos from Chelsea, following an impressive loan spell at Strasbourg.

Central midfield is one of the areas that manager Michael Carrick aims to reinforce in this summer transfer window.

MU will bid farewell to Casemiro after four seasons, and the Brazilian's departure will leave a notable gap, especially given his excellent form at the end of his time at Old Trafford.

Moreover, Manuel Ugarte, who was anticipated to leave the club, is now facing a long-term absence due to a cruciate ligament injury sustained at the World Cup while playing for Uruguay. Ugarte himself called it "the most serious injury a footballer can suffer."

This summer has been unfortunate for MU as they have failed to secure their top two midfield targets, Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes. Anderson joined Manchester City for £116 million, while Fernandes moved to Tottenham for £85 million.

Additionally, the Red Devils have pulled out of the deal for Atalanta's Ederson, valued at around £39 million, due to medical concerns.

Ederson has now returned to Italy and is planning a holiday to consider his future. Meanwhile, Atalanta is prepared to offer him a new contract to retain him.

If they manage to sign Tielemans, MU will acquire a midfielder with vast experience in the Premier League and European competitions.

For Aston Villa, if Tielemans leaves, the squad will become very thin in central midfield. His Belgian teammate Amadou Onana suffered an ACL tear during the World Cup, while Boubacar Kamara is still recovering from a knee injury sustained in January.

Initially, Unai Emery's transfer targets this summer were to add attacking players who can operate flexibly up front. However, facing the potential loss of Tielemans, he may need to shift focus to strengthening the midfield.

In other news, Morgan Rogers is being monitored by Arsenal. However, Aston Villa will only consider selling him if they receive an offer well exceeding £100 million.