I was mostly joking. Kone would be a better pickup but yeah, I agree with you.

I don't know about Kone; season before last year was relatively clean, but he typically has some long spells where he is injured.
https://www.transfermarkt.us/manu-kone/verletzungen/spieler/624690

🚨🇧🇷 Understand Atalanta will offer new five year deal to Éderson from next week — as they insist Éderson is 100% fit.

Decision up to the player: sign new deal or remain available on market with 10 months left on current deal.

🎥➕ https://t.co/DcbYOegaRC pic.twitter.com/oh0eXF0FCn

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 12, 2026

I mean, they can feel like he's fit enough to play, which he probably is since he was playing at the World Cup, and we could think that the meniscus injury is a problem big enough that we don't want to go through with the deal. (I.e., we think it's a ticking bomb and not worth a 35M risk.) So things aren't mutually exclusive. In any case, it sounds like it isn't happening anymore.

🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Manchester United in advanced talks to sign Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa. All parties in contact as #MUFC try to finalise - 29yo midfielder keen on move. Ederson deal off for now; #MUFC may look to revisit later this summer @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/KbWwD1jxov

— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) July 13, 2026

What a move!

Showstopper said:

---

I know, but I don't think it even exists. Maybe Tielemans at Villa is you ignore his age, that he's important for Villa, and that we probably wouldn't pay enough for him because of his age? Hard to even come up with a name.

Edit: Ruben Neves back from Saudi? This is hard…
Edit2: Rabiot and his mother? (Not really a "leadership" signing though)
Edit3: Not sure there is much in the tank, but Goretzka on a free? (Wages are the problem with likely all of these three)

---

Winner winner chicken dinner

The "Ederson deal off for now; may look to revisit" line indicates United just didn't want to follow through. If it was really about his medical, you wouldn't revisit.

I am shocked! I know the age, but what a player for 35M! I didn't know he had a release clause, but I thought, "Villla won't let him go for anywhere less than 60M going in Champions League." I'm so shocked! Actual Prem proven for 35M! One of Villa's best players, let's be clear. Wow!

Yeah it's a great signing if it gets done. I respect and agree with the general rule of not buying older players. But there are always exceptions to the rule and getting him ticks so many boxes. Adds a lot of experience to a midfield that is still relatively inexperienced. Lots of quality, low price…and he likely has at least 3 more seasons in him at this level, maybe more.

Yeah I don't care about Ederson anymore lol.

Two long injury spells last year, but one was ankle so probably fine, the other is calf and he has kind of a recurring calf thing. But at least it isn't knee or ligaments.

Edit: it's probably similar injury number of days over past four years as Kone and I was pooping on him lol. I'm a hypocrite; I'm kind of on the fence with Kone as a player to be honest.

I have to say this is good smart business. A league vet playing at a high level at this price. Incredible.

Also a post like this tells me the club management is no longer leaking deals to the locals. The ship has tightened up considerably.

Radio silence from #mufc early this morning amid enquiry on Tielemans before it emerged. Drastic change of plans after missing out on prime midfield targets. A good player but sense of chaos engulfing United. Missing out on targets, a deal collapsing and moving for older target…

— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) July 13, 2026

Potentially more context on Ederson medical, to the extent anyone still cares (have to click to see details; sorry):

Ederson's proposed move to Manchester United is off for now, but #MUFC have not ruled out revisiting later in the summer.

Atalanta sources maintain the player is fully fit, but #MUFC decided not to proceed after carrying out a thorough medical with specialists looking at an… pic.twitter.com/WXyWkySPew

— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) July 13, 2026

Santos officially announced

✍️🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/0YCeleYaVi

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 13, 2026

LMFAO. This guy doesn't know what United are going to do anymore so he calls it "chaos". What a jackass.

Dre_00 said:

---

LMFAO. This guy doesn't know what United are going to do anymore so he calls it "chaos". What a jackass.

---

exactly. luckhurst is pissing in his own cheerios.

Dre_00 said:

---

LMFAO. This guy doesn't know what United are going to do anymore so he calls it "chaos". What a jackass.

---

Classic British media

I think he specifically got cut off. Others have pretty clearly been confirming and are getting their calls answered.

Gosh, Samuel, I don't know why the club sources aren't rushing to take your phone calls; this really is a mystery when you are always so balanced and even-handed lol

Circumstances surrounding Santos and Tielemans deals highlights issues in departments at #mufc but they'll soon have depth in midfield. Not convinced by a Chelsea squad player farmed out on loan four times but maybe Santos will thrive in a new environment. Tielemans oozes quality…

— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) July 13, 2026

Luckhurst is like a Bulldog chewing on a wasp. He's so upset right now.

Dre_00 said:

---

Given that he had no realistic chance at first team football at Chelsea, the fee is a little higher than I would have liked but he also had 4 years left on his contract so Chelsea didn't need to sell. 50m probably about right. Chelsea get the transfer profit they crave so much and only lose a backup player. United get a young, talented player in an area of need that complements Mainoo well.

That's slightly less than 90m for Ederson and Santos or effectively the same as one Matheus Fernandes. Given the sheer lack of quality and depth we have in midfield with Casemiro gone and with Ugarte injured (or even when he was healthy for that matter), I think 90m for Ederson and Santos is a much better end result than 85m for Fernandes.

---

So this went from 90m for Ederson and Santos to Tielemans and Santos for 83m+2. Fernandes could be stellar, who knows. But can honestly say that Santos and Tielemans for the same amount of money as a Matheus Fernandes is a no brainer. I said we had to wait till the end of the transfer window to determine if passing/getting outbid on Fernandes was a good move or not but I think I'm ready to call it a good move.

Seems like Greenwood move to either Atletico Madrid or Fenerbahce is imminent and either deal would add about 15m in "pure profit" to United's PSR and transfer fund. Chelsea are officially out of the Garnacho business and are asking for 45m (ish). Roma have interest but unsurprisingly don't want to spend that kind of money on him and would prefer a loan with an option to buy. Either way, sounds like he's one and done at Chelsea.

So United have a realistic path to 15-20m in incoming transfer fees without offloading any players.

FabRom with the final Tielemans confirmation. Medical complete...signing a 5 year contract today. Last 1-2 years could be Christian Eriksen-like, but the relatively low transfer fee should still make this a smart move financially.

Players will say anything in these announcements. So will clubs when they don't get a player they were chasing. That said...

One of the takeaways to come out of the Fernandes pursuit was that United wasn't really any different to him than any other step up. Mbeumo, Cunha, and Sesko last year all made it clear as soon as United showed interest that was where they wanted to play. Sesko turned down a higher salary at Newcastle. Fernandes was never at that level. Maybe United have just carefully crafted the optics on these deals but it seems like Tielemans is in a similar camp as Mbeumo, Cunha, and Sesko were last season.

My recollection from when he was at Leicester (and we weren't as excited about him, ironically lol) was that he actually is a fan. As was Maddison.

He said this way back when he was 16 and breaking in at Anderlecht (per Chrome's translate function):

"It is, of course, my goal to be part of the final squad this season. Is Anderlecht really my dream club? Certainly, although I do like Manchester United as well."

https://www.voetbalkrant.com/nieuws/2013-06-27/tielemans-vergelijking-met-witsel-leuk-om-te-horen

(I just remember reading somewhere that he was a fan while he was still at Leicester, and kind of remembered it because my brain holds onto the absolute most useless knowledge).

Didn't realize that United gave to Getafe as terms of their initial loan part of any future sell-on fee United might manage to negotiate for Greenwood. Greenwood's deal to Fenerbahce is finalized but, as a result, United only getting about 10m GBP. Alas.

Better than nothing… he was so radioactive that I wasn't completely sure we wouldn't have to just give him a release. Wasn't a long line for him once we decided he wouldn't be reintegrated despite the initial attempt.

Joao Gomes is off to Villa. If United are looking at a 3rd midfielder addition somewhere in the 40-60m range, it will likely come out of the blue again. Manu Kone is the only one that has been mentioned that seems to be in that range.

Man I hope not on Kone. One criticism you can make of our signed midfielders plus Kobbie is they aren't very pacey. I will put the afternoon Serie A game on some afternoons while I do something else (and if the late La Liga game isn't RM or Barcelona). So I say that to say I see some Serie A despite not being a fan. He's a good player on an ok for Serie A Roma team, if you get what I'm saying. He's got a strong frame, so he has Premier League size, but he's not very fast. His World Cup performance did not do much to change my mind (we know for sure Pedro Porro has him on speed lol). Between him, Alex Scott, Baleba, or maybe Camavinga (if Jose convinced him he actually does want to leave after all), he'd probably be my last choice. But he would be the easiest deal to do because it seems like he wants to leave and Roma seemingly needs to sell.

I don't know enough about him to have a strong opinion. I do think it's interesting that he excelled at Roma under Gasperini in a similar position that Ederson excelled in under Gasperini at Atalanta. Maybe Camavinga, if he's interested in leaving RM, could be had for 60m or so but the others are likely going to go for more. But I highly doubt Camavinga is interested in leaving RM for United. The others are very likely to each go for 80+ which probably isn't feasible if they do want to go and add a left winger, left back and backup striker as well.

I think "excelled" is a bit of an oversell… he's ok for for an OK team. I have a tough time coming up with an analogy, but maybe a Sander Berge? Little bit better? I think if your expectation is excellence… well, I hope so, but I don't think so.

There may be some agent puffing circulating…

Both Ederson and Kone were much better players with Gasperini as their manager. That's all I'm saying. Not that that they were elite or anything.