Tuanzebe Checks In at Burnley

Burnley Football Club are pleased to confirm the signing of defender Axel Tuanzebe, who will join the Club upon expiry of his contract at Ipswich Town on July 1st.

The former Manchester United and Aston Villa centre-back has penned a contract at Turf Moor and becomes Scott Parker’s third signing of the summer transfer window.

After putting pen-to-paper at Burnley, Tuanzebe said: “I’m delighted to be here.

“It became a very simple decision after speaking to the manager and the message was very clear, precise and straight to the point.

“It’s a new chapter for me, back in the vicinity of Manchester and home and I’m ready to continue my journey now at Burnley.”

Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tuanzebe relocated to England as a youngster and joined Manchester United’s academy at eight-years-old.

The defender progressed through the system at Old Trafford and after being named on the bench for the first team at 17-years-old in October 2015, Tuanzebe made his senior debut in January 2017.

The 27-year-old went on to play in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League for the Red Devils, becoming the club’s youngest captain in over 30 years, after leading the side out in an EFL Cup tie in 2019.

Tuanzebe then joined Aston Villa on loan for the second-half of the 2017/18 campaign in the Championship, after then returning to help the Midlands club reach the Premier League the following season

The summer of 2019 saw the defender pen a new deal at Old Trafford and gain further experience with United, after playing over 30 times across the next two seasons.

The DR Congo international returned to Villa Park for a third time for the first-half of the 2021/22 season, before then joining Napoli in January 2022 for the remainder of that campaign.

After a loan spell with Stoke City in 2022/23, Tuanzebe then signed for Ipswich Town in September 2023, where his 22 appearances helped the Tractor Boys gain promotion to the Premier League.

Tuanzebe then featured a further 22 times last season at Portman Road in the Premier League, before turning down a new offer from Ipswich and making the move to Turf Moor.