BREAKING NEWS: Coming Live from Fabrizio Romano,🚨Man United beat off competition from rivals Liverpool to land Leny Yoro, 18, as £52m defender heads to England to complete medical. Manchester United have booked travel and medical tests for Leny Yoro! Plan ready after agreement reached with Lille last week for €50m fixed fee plus €12m add-ons. There’s still work needed to get the deal done, Man United now confident as Fabrizio Romano reports.
Leny Yoro is en route to England to undergo a medical and finalize personal terms for a move to Manchester United, valued at up to £52 million. Lille accepted United’s offer of £42 million plus £10 million in add-ons for the 18-year-old French center-back last week. Initially, there were concerns that Yoro preferred to join Real Madrid. However, United acted swiftly to secure the deal and aim to sign him on a five-year contract with an option to extend for an additional year. Yoro, who made 41 appearances for Lille last season, also drew interest from Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain.
He is set to become United’s second signing of the summer, following Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee’s transfer to Old Trafford for £36.5 million. Strengthening the center-back and center-forward positions were United’s top priorities in this transfer window. The new co-owners, Ineos, and manager Erik ten Hag are likely pleased to have these deals completed early in the pre-season after appointing Dan Ashworth as sporting director.
United are also interested in acquiring another center-back. They have held discussions with Bayern Munich about Matthijs de Ligt, valued at £42 million, and had two offers up to £50 million for Jarrad Branthwaite rejected by Everton. However, further acquisitions may depend on raising additional funds through player sales.
Veteran defender Jonny Evans has been offered a new one-year contract, but Raphael Varane and Willy Kambwala have left Old Trafford, and another slot could open if Victor Lindelof moves to Fenerbahce. Mason Greenwood is also on the verge of leaving the club to join Marseille in a deal worth around £30 million.
United plan to further strengthen the squad by signing a full-back and a defensive midfielder, although the latter may depend on whether Casemiro or Scott McTominay depart the club this summer. Yoro had been waiting for Madrid to match United’s bid, but Lille pushed the defender to join the Red Devils, as the Champions League winners were unwilling to pay the fee.
Liverpool also targeted Yoro, but it was believed he only wanted to move to Spain. Madrid were reportedly more interested in waiting to recruit the 18-year-old next summer when he would have become a free agent, prompting Lille to push for United’s deal to go through sooner rather than later. Yoro, seen as a generational talent, debuted for Lille’s reserve team in 2022 and signed his first professional contract with the club in January of that year.
He made his professional debut in May 2022 at age 16, becoming the second youngest player ever to play for Lille. In total, he has made 55 appearances for the French club, scored two goals, and helped them to a fourth-place finish in Ligue 1 last season. He is also a youth international with France, currently starring for the Under-21 team, having previously featured at U17, U18, and U19 levels.
