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Manchester United to sign a third midfielder this summer: Details
15 Jul 2026

Manchester United are set to be in the market for another midfielder, as per multiple reports.

On Tuesday, the Red Devils secured the signing of midfielder Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa for a fee of £35 million.

The 29-year-old signed a five-year contract with the club.

He became the second midfielder to be signed by United in this summer transfer window, after Andrey Santos's £50 million move from Chelsea.

Here's more,

United to go for a defensive midfielder
Player profile

United are set to sign a defensive midfielder and are looking at options.

With Casemiro's exit and Manuel Ugarte being injured for the forseeable future, United want depth.

As per Fabrizio Romano, France's Manu Kone is among players being mentioned in internal talks and with initial approach on player side. However, he is not the only one.

As per Sky Sports News, Bournemouth's Alex Scott and Brighton's Carlos Baleba continue to be among the long-term targets.

However, any move for a third midfielder will unlikely be for a large fee.

Tielemans speaks after signing for Man United
Player's statement

Expressing his excitement about the transfer, Tielemans said, "It's hard to describe just how proud I am to join Manchester United."

"I have had the privilege of experiencing success in the game and it has only increased my determination to achieve more. The ambition from everyone at the club is extremely clear; we are all determined to push for the biggest trophies over the coming years," he added.

Tielemans's club career journey
Career highlights

Tielemans started his career with Belgian side Anderlecht and scored 35 times in 184 appearances.

He played for AS Monaco next, scoring six goals in 65 matches.

Leicester City signed the player next and he went on to make 195 appearances and scoring 28 times.

For Aston Villa, the player scored 10 goals across 134 matches.

With Leicester, he won the FA Cup and FA Community Shield. With Villa, the Belgian ace won the UEFA Europa League.

In the start of his career, he bagged four trophies with Anderlecht as well.

Santos deal was announced on Monday
Santos

On Monday, United announced the signing of Brazilian midfielder Santos from Chelsea.

United agreed on a guaranteed £48m payment plus £2m in add-ons. Meanwhile, Chelsea will retain a 10% sell-on clause.

"Everything about Manchester United is special; it is an incredible feeling to join a club that some of my biggest idols have represented," said Santos.

"As a midfielder, I am really excited to have the opportunity to learn from Michael Carrick; he is the perfect coach to help me take the next step in my career and push to achieve my dreams."

United's midfield summary: Potential targets, missed signings and Ederson
Players

Fulham's Sander Berge holds interest alongside Moroccan midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.

As mentioned above, Kone is also in the mix alongside Scott and Baleba.

Real Madrid's Aurelien Tchouameni was a big target throughout the summer, but he is expected to sign a new contract.

United were earlier keen on Elliott Anderson, but he ended up joining Manchester City for £116m.

West Ham's Mateus Fernandes ended up choosing Spurs over United and made an £85m move.

Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali also ended up joining Spurs for £100m.

United had agreed to sign Ederson from Atalanta but changed their stance after a medical in UK.

Situation of United's current midfield
Fact

Right now, United have Santos as a defensive midfielder with Mainoo and Tielemans being more offensive in their nature. Mason Mount can also be deployed alongside Mainoo. With Ugarte out for a considerable time, a dynamic defensive midfielder will add depth as the club challenges for trophies.