There appears to be another turn in the tale of Manchester United’s summer transfer window saga, as it’s claimed that the club are soon set to sign a player they’ve long been linked with and that they nearly bought years ago: Youri Tielemans.
Yes, more than seven years after he was first linked with a Man United move, Tielemans now looks like he could finally be making his way to Old Trafford, with several sources stating that the deal is all but done.
The Belgian midfielder, now 29 years old, has only just exited the World Cup following their defeat to semi-finalists and reigning European champions Spain, having scored twice before having to miss their last game after picking up an injury in the warm-up.
But now it seems as though he’ll be linking up with another team of Red Devils when he returns to club football next month.
WHATTTTTTTTT THE FUCKKKK???? WHERE HAS THIS COME FROMMM???
Said to be a hamstring problem, United fans will obviously hope it’s nothing severe, as the versatile box-to-box player isn’t a stranger to the physio bench, leading some supporters to question the still yet to be announced transfer.
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The most serious setback of his professional career came this past season, when he was out for a total of 112 days of football – missing a total of 23 games across club and country – but prior to that, he’d never been out for more than a dozen matches.
Nevertheless, plenty of people have labelled the prospective deal ‘a bargain’, with former Leicester City star and current Aston Villa squad member thought to be making his way to the red half of Manchester for around £35 million.
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Perhaps the most prevailing reaction seems to be that MUFC should have done this deal “years ago”, with several posts on social media joking that this feels like the 2019 summer window, dubbing it everything from “random” and “out of nowhere”, to “shrewd” and “a steal” at the reported price.
Many others are worrying whether they’re getting a player who’s potentially leaving the peak of his career, but it’s no secret that the club want multiple reinforcements in the middle of the park for 26/27, with Chelsea youngster Andrey Santos having now been teased by the club.
While Santos is now over the line, it’s worth noting that nothing official has been shared by United regarding Tielemans, and that’s a key thing to note given the recent U-turn made regarding recruitment.
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INEOS were all but nailed on to sign another Brazilian midfielder in Atalanta’s Ederson, who also received a late call-up to the Brazil squad for this World Cup, but it was revealed earlier this month that the transfer has now been cancelled.
This comes after medical tests revealed new information regarding a knee issue in the previous campaign, which looks to have taken the deal off the table.
All that being said, the board are still expected to bring in another midfielder if possible, with a return to the Champions League and a new term with two cups meaning lots more games to play and more strength in depth required. Fears over perceived panic buying and back-up options still remain, though.
On the other hand, you could very well see another academy graduate brought through should transfer spending be limited; after all, they’ve got that big, shiny new stadium to pay for…
A local Manchester run club is holding two special running routes to see the total eclipse
Danny Jones
With the highly anticipated total eclipse fast approaching, people not just here in Greater Manchester but all over the UK, Europe and the rest of the world are gearing up to try and watch it – but this native running club are doing it a bit differently.
Eclipses occur once every 12-18 months, but this is set to be the biggest since 1999.
The moon is set to cover approximately 96-98% of the sun this coming Wednesday, 12 August, 2026, and rather than try to watch it from a window at home or drive to somewhere with supposedly ‘the best view’, local sports club Manchester Road Runners are turning it into their latest one-off event.
Sharing details online, the free-to-join local organisation, which boasts thousands of members on Facebook and various other platforms, will be timing things to make sure they catch the phenomenon.
Writing in the accompanying caption, the Road Runners say: “We’ve pulled some strings and have a very special event taking place on August 12th, a solar eclipse! Come run with us under a darkened sun next Wednesday from The Wharf at 18:30, with peak moon coverage expected at around 19:10.”
Better still, they’re also teaming up with their trail running spin-off club for an even more scenic twist on the evening excursion.
“If you prefer to experience your solar phenomena under the wide open skies”, they go on to write, “our friends over at Trail Division will be holding a hike/run off road, meet at Piccadilly Station at 18:00 to get shady in the great outdoors.”
Fortunately, they have issued an important disclaimer, going on to remind runners that “while beautiful and majestic, the sun should NEVER be directly looked at in the face unprotected”, signing off by adding, “Respect the sun, respect your peepers, stay ocularly safe out there.”
If you’ve never come across MRR before, they’re probably the biggest run club in the entire Greater Manchester region and their social-first jogs, intervals, track sessions and more revolve around meeting back up with your mates for a wholesome pint and a chat.
For many, it’s the biggest and the best in the city.
As for the eclipse run, it’s set to be a very magical variation on their usual Wednesday evening meets.
Quite rightly, they also point out in the post that you can actually buy certain glasses to view eclipses on these rare occasions, with search traffic often ramping up in and around these events.
Meanwhile, the Trail Division branch is yet to confirm the route for their run/hike, but it will most likely remain in the nearby North West vicinity; keep your eyes peeled on their social media pages (linked above) for more information and other upcoming trail events.
Speaking of trail runs, there’s a pretty beautiful albeit challenging one coming up next month…
Stunning vistas, walkers welcome, and multiple distances available.🏃♂️🥾
And the best part? It's less than 90 minutes away from Manchester. 🏞️
Rodri makes ‘preference’ clear as Barcelona and Real Madrid push to sign Man City star
Danny Jones
Ballon d’Or winner and Manchester City star Rodri has reportedly made his ‘preference’ clear as both Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have ramped up efforts to sign him this summer.
The European and now World Champion is well and truly within ‘completing football’ territory at this point, but now looks set for a return to his home country to conquer La Liga.
Well, sort of, as according to Forbes and other outlets, the world-class central defensive midfielder looks to have ‘chosen’ Barcelona over Madrid, with the deal now progressing beyond just player talks.
However, as the BBC and various other sources have now reported, City have already rejected an initial bid of approximately £38.5 million and will keep holding out for a larger fee for one of, if not their most important player.
Sharing an even more recent update, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has stated that, as well as the decision having now been made over the Spanish giants and “personal terms agreed”, the Rodri move has now entered the “key stages” with direct negotiations between the two clubs.
Initial contract talks are said to have already taken place, and with the Spaniard having come through the Atlético Madrid youth ranks before returning there as a senior player prior to his big-money move to Manchester, a switch to the other side of the city and ‘Los Blancos’ was always going to be a tall task.
As per Romano, Barca are extremely keen on securing Rodri, but as always, price will be the sticking point. Although the Blues have made it very clear that they want more if he is to leave, the Catalan club are confident they’ll be able to close the deal before the end of the transfer window.
It’s rumoured that the asking price is somewhere closer to £60m, although who knows what the final number would be when factoring in add-ons and other bonuses, etc.
Meanwhile, City are obviously hoping to keep hold of their Euro 2024 and 2026 World Cup winner if they can; they’re said to be trying their best to keep him at the table and tie him down to a new and even more lucrative contract.
On the other hand, they have brought in an already extremely highly rated player in Elliot Anderson, who looks set to be their crucial cog in the middle of the park for a long time to come at just 23 years old.
Do you think it’s the right fit, if he has indeed ‘picked’ the Blaugrana?
All that being said, it’s hard for any player to look the other way when an offer comes in from two of the biggest clubs in the world, let alone Spain – especially when the player is from there and has won everything there is to win in their current league.
Rodri only turned 30 back in June, and despite having numerous injury problems over the past couple of seasons, there is still an evident faith that new MCFC boss Enzo Maresca can build a fresh squad around him in the pivot.
What do you think, Cityzens: is now the right time to try and get a good price for him, or should he stick around at the Etihad for the remainder of his already glittering career?
Elsewhere in transfer news, both big Manc clubs and a number of other suitors across Europe are supposedly interested in signing a young striker currently playing in Ireland…
Danny Jones -
13th July 2026 
