Two Belgian internationals have completed moves in a busy day of transfer activity, with Youri Tielemans joining Manchester United from Aston Villa for £35m while Leandro Trossard left Arsenal for Besiktas in a £15.3m deal.
Tielemans, 29, has signed a five-year contract after United met a release clause. “It’s hard to describe just how proud I am to join Manchester United,” he said. “Signing for such a special club feels incredible. It is the culmination of years of dedication since I first fell in love with football.” The midfielder, who this summer helped Belgium reach the World Cup quarter-finals before losing to Spain, has spent three seasons at Villa after moving to Leicester City in 2019. He has played 668 games for club and country, scoring 79 goals, and is noted for scoring Leicester’s winner against Chelsea in the 2021 FA Cup final and for Aston Villa in their Europa League final triumph over Freiburg in May. Last season, calf and ankle problems restricted him to 35 appearances, his lowest in England. Tielemans will wear the number 18 shirt vacated by Casemiro. United’s director of football, Jason Wilcox, said: “Youri has consistently been one of the most outstanding midfielders in the Premier League… He has all of the technical qualities, as well as the ambition and mentality, to thrive at Manchester United. Youri’s consistency is exceptional, and he will add further composure, creativity and leadership to our squad.” His signing follows those of Andrey Santos and Karl Darlow, while a move for Atalanta’s Ederson has been put on hold.
“Tielemans joins Man Utd for £35m, Trossard leaves Arsenal for Besiktas in £15.3m deal.”
Meanwhile, Trossard has joined Turkish side Besiktas on a three-year contract with a further one-year option. The 31-year-old was given permission to travel to Istanbul for a medical after a fee of 18m euros (£15.3m) was agreed, payable in six equal instalments. Trossard, who has 57 caps for Belgium, was under contract with Arsenal until 2027, having joined from Brighton for £21m plus add-ons in January 2023. He scored 36 goals and registered 34 assists in 174 appearances for the Gunners, helping Mikel Arteta’s side win last season’s Premier League title. He started in the Champions League final defeat by Paris St-Germain and 21 times in the league. At the World Cup, he started all six games, scoring twice, as Belgium reached the quarter-finals before losing to Spain. His departure has accelerated Arsenal’s pursuit of replacements. The club are set to move for Club Brugge attacker Christos Tzolis, who could be available for about £30m. Sporting director Andrea Berta is working on the deal after his assistant Maurizio Micheli watched the Greece international play last month. Arsenal also retain a long-term interest in Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez, their priority target, though Barcelona and Real Madrid are also interested. Morgan Rogers is their preferred option for a versatile forward, with efforts set to accelerate once his World Cup with England ends, while PSG’s Bradley Barcola is an alternative if the Aston Villa deal – reportedly valuing Rogers at £130m – fails. Micheli also watched Georgia Under-21 international Andria Bartishvili in a Champions League qualifier last week as the Gunners step up their search for a teenage attacker.
