He emerged as a possible signing just as another key summer transfer was collapsing.
The signing of Ederson had been well planned. Over the course of 2026 he built up to becoming a prime target of the summer. They even had a deal in place.
He was set to join from Atalanta for £35 million, and an early agreement eased tension around the club. They have always wanted to sign three midfielders this summer and Ederson was teed up before the window even officially opened.
However, things changed across the course of the past week as Ederson’s club medical tests did not go to plan. United began to reconsider his transfer, and that is when they quietly searched for a new option.
There was no real rumour around a deal for Tielemans this summer. His name was not mooted as a potential deal.
An awareness of his transfer release clause suddenly changed the picture after his Belgium side crashed out of the World Cup to Spain on Friday.
It had been known United are very keen on signing players with Premier League pedigree but even after looking at Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali and West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes, then being linked with Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle, Alex Scott of Bournemouth, Andre Gomes of Wolves, Sander Berge of Fulham, and also agreeing the signing of Andrey Santos from Chelsea … Tielemans had never been mentioned.
Suddenly on Monday it was revealed they were in serious talks to trigger a release clause of £35 million to sign Tielemans from Aston Villa - the same price they were paying for Ederson.
The price-tag is ideal for United, who will now celebrate this deal alongside the £50 million Santos deal. The sum for the two players adds up to the same single amount Tottenham paid for Fernandes from West Ham.
Tielemans has been admired within Old Trafford for some time and to now bring in a 29-year-old experienced player, who has just starred at the World Cup, significantly improves the squad and is a quick fix for the Ederson collapse.
The release clause within his deal became a significant factor because Villa had no desire to lose the player but could not stop a transfer from taking shape. In the meantime, they have closed in on Johan Manzambi from Freiburg.
Tielemans' passing is going to be a big asset, along with his reading of the game and ability to win back possession, while his creativity and timing in the final third will be a help.
And the good news for United fans is that there will still be another, athletic midfielder to be signed this summer.