Manchester United are in the market for another midfielder despite the signing of Andrey Santos and impending arrival of Youri Tielemans.
Santos joined from Chelsea in a £48m deal on Monday and Belgium midfielder Tielemans, 29, will undergo a medical at United before completing his switch from Aston Villa.
BBC Sport has been told of a £35m release clause, although this has not been confirmed by either club.
While the signings will go some way to allaying the concerns of fans who had been worried about a lack of transfer activity and the collapse of a £35m deal to sign Brazil’s Ederson from Atalanta, they do not entirely address the gap in Michael Carrick’s squad.
Casemiro’s departure at the end of last season left Carrick without a natural number six, but the club are looking to focus on that role with at least one more addition to the midfield ranks.
Santos does play in that position but at the age of 22 and with only 13 Premier League starts behind him, lacks experience.
Tielemans has played in a deeper role but is regarded more as a number eight, which is the role Kobbie Mainoo was given when Carrick restored him to the starting line-up in January following Ruben Amorim’s sacking.
“I can’t see Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo playing together,” said former United midfielder Paul Scholes on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast.
“They might still need two in there.”
Is Tielemans a risk?
The initial reaction in United circles to news of Tielemans’ impending arrival was positive.
A former team-mate of current first-team coach Jonny Evans, Tielemans is noted for scoring Leicester’s winner in the 2021 FA Cup final and for Aston Villa in their Europa League final triumph over Freiburg in May.
“Well done to the recruitment team because £35m for him is a phenomenal signing,” said former midfielder Nicky Butt as he discussed the Belgian’s potential impact with Scholes.
“They needed to get a rocket on. If we want to compete in all four competitions we have to build a squad, not just a starting 11.”
An erroneous post on X, in which a user claimed Tielemans had already played more minutes of football at the age of 29 than Scholes did in his playing career, grabbed plenty of attention on social media, but while it was incorrect, it did highlight the amount of football the Villa midfielder has played.
He made his senior debut for Anderlecht aged 16 years and 82 days and has now played 668 games for club and country.
That is over 100 more than Casemiro had done when he moved from Real Madrid to United in 2022.
Casemiro was 30 at the time and after an excellent debut campaign, then spent 18 months being told his career was finished as his performances dipped.
Observers defending United’s recruitment team would argue Tielemans is more accustomed to the physical demands of the Premier League given he has played in England since joining Leicester from Monaco in 2019.
Last season he was impacted by separate calf and ankle problems that restricted him to 35 appearances in all competitions for Aston Villa, the lowest number during his time in England.
After impressing at the World Cup, including scoring a memorable 89th-minute equaliser against Senegal, then converting an extra-time winner from the penalty spot, his tournament came to a premature end when he was injured in the warm-up before the quarter-final defeat by Spain.
Darlow joins Man Utd after Leeds exit
Meanwhile, United have signed goalkeeper Karl Darlow on a two-year contract, with the option to extend by a further season.
The move is likely to lead to the Old Trafford exit of Turkey international Altay Bayindir, who came close to joining Besiktas in January.
Darlow’s contract at Leeds expired this summer and although he was offered a new deal, he has opted to make the switch across the Pennines. Leeds did not reference rivals Manchester United in their own statement.
“Leeds United can confirm Karl Darlow has left the club upon the expiration of his contract to pursue an opportunity elsewhere,” Leeds said in a statement.
“Despite the offer of a new deal to remain in West Yorkshire, the goalkeeper wished to explore a different challenge and leaves the Whites with the best wishes of everyone at Elland Road.”
Darlow finished the season as Daniel Farke’s first-choice keeper.
The 35-year-old Wales international has played a total of 279 games at club level and has 15 caps.
“I am extremely proud to sign for Manchester United,” he said.
“I’m joining an excellent group of goalkeepers and I’m really looking forward to all pushing each other to ensure that we maintain the highest standards, which this club demands.”
Darlow is likely to start the season as deputy to first choice Senne Lammens.
With Lammens taking a three-week break after Belgium’s World Cup campaign, Darlow is set to play a role during Manchester United’s pre-season, which starts against Wrexham in Helsinki on 18 July.
