MANCHESTER UNITED REACH €50 MILLION AGREEMENT WITH LILLE FOR DEFENDER LENY YORO
Manchester United have reached an agreement in principle with French side Lille OSC for star defender Leny Yoro, as first reported by L’Équipe’s Nabil Djellit on Tuesday.
The agreement between United and Lille is thought to be worth €50 million (£42 million), including add-ons. One of the most coveted young players in Europe, Yoro is believed to be wanted by a myriad of clubs across the continent including Liverpool, PSG and Spanish and European champions Real Madrid.
The 18-year-old center back had an outstanding 2023/24 season with Lille and helped the team secure a fourth-place finish in Ligue Un. Lille will thus play in the Champions League qualifiers this summer to earn a spot in Europe’s premier competition for the 2024/25 season.
“It’s not normal to have an 18-year-old like Leny,” said recent Lille manager Paulo Fonseca, who joined AC Milan as their new head coach this summer. “With the maturity and technical qualities he has, for me, he’ll be one of the best central defenders in France and probably in Europe. He’s very well balanced, and there’s no doubt that he’s going to be a great player.”
Standing at 6-foot-3, Yoro cemented his reputation as a generational talent last season. The Frenchman is exceptionally quick and thrived as a sweeper defender at Lille, thwarting danger by covering his other defenders when they were exposed. Composed and calm under pressure, the Saint-Maurice-born defender has been compared to recent Manchester United center back Raphael Varane and Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk.
Yoro played 32 games and missed out on only two league games last campaign. The France Under-17 international is one of the hottest names in the summer transfer market and could move to any of Europe’s elites before the transfer window closes next month.
Despite United’s agreement with Lille on Tuesday, Yoro reportedly prefers a move to 14-time UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid and could decide against moving to the Manchester club. Madrid have not yet reached a valuation for Yoro and are thought to have not yet engaged in active talks with Lille for the defensive wunderkind. Los Blancos have, however, been in contact with Yoro’s representatives and it is thought that the Frenchman has informed them he prefers to sign this summer.
According to European transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Madrid see Yoro’s deal as similar to Eduardo Camavinga’s transfer from Rennes back in 2021. Real are happy to wait until the deal can be completed at their conditions or are even happy to sign Yoro as a free agent in 2025. Lille President Oliver Letang said last month that they would allow Yoro to leave this summer for the right amount considering his contract situation.
The teenager has a year left on his current contract with Lille, which leaves the French club in a vulnerable position, meaning they would have to sell him this summer or let him walk next year for free. The move depends entirely on Yoro’s plans for his future. He can decide whether he wants to wait for Real Madrid and open talks with the Spanish club in January with 6 months left on his current deal or take a chance at the Premier League by joining United now.
According to The United Stand’s Sam Cohen, a few agents were spotted at Manchester United’s Carrington training ground on Tuesday, with several taxis waiting outside the facility. The agents were clearly spotted with Gestifute agency branding on some of their belongings. Gestifute is a player representation agency that looks after Leny Yoro, Reuben Neves, Ait Nouri and a few others.
United are thought to be working hard to seal this deal and have center back as a prioritized position during the summer transfer window. The team has already had two bids for Everton center back Jarrad Branthwaite turned down and are actively pursuing Bayern Munich center back Matthijs De Ligt. The Red Devils are looking to strengthen their defensive line ahead of a crucial first full season under the new minority owners, INEOS.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Supporterheninois. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.