Tom Cleverley's potential move away from Manchester United looked dead in the final hours of the transfer window on Monday, but he's made a late post-deadline switch to Aston Villa. After looking at the submitted paperwork, the Premier League agreed that work was done on Cleverley's deal in a timely enough fashion to approve his move more than 12 hours after the deadline passed.
Tom Cleverley joins Aston Villa on loan with options to buy or terminate
Manchester United had already completed two other deals after the transfer deadline, so what’s a third?
Cleverley had two potential suitors on deadline day in Villa and Everton. Villa didn't want to meet the player's personal demands for a permanent move, while Everton had no problem paying his wages but didn't want to match the fee Villa offered United. In the end, Villa, United and Cleverley have compromised with a loan that includes some clauses.
If Villa and Cleverley end up getting along just fine, they can complete a permanent transfer in January for £7.5m. United seemingly prefers for that clause to be exercised, though Cleverley can certainly run down his contract and try to sign for a richer club for free in the summer if he’s a resounding success at Aston Villa.
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