Manchester United are near overcoming competitors from Actual Madrid to seal a £52.1 million ($67.9m) deal for Leny Yoro after the Lille defender was granted permission to journey to Previous Trafford for a medical, sources have advised ESPN.
United, who accomplished the £35.8m ($46.7m) signing of Netherlands ahead Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna earlier this week, have moved forward of Madrid within the race for Yoro, with sources telling ESPN that the Champions League winners opted towards participating in a bidding struggle with the Premier League membership for the centre-half.
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Yoro, 18, had favoured a transfer to Madrid and had initially been immune to a switch to United, however the English membership have now made a breakthrough in negotiations with Lille and the participant.
Sources advised ESPN that Yoro advised Madrid of his intention to signal for United on Tuesday night time after the Spanish membership didn’t make a transfer to signal him.
Madrid, as ESPN has reported, have been in fixed contact with Yoro for months however by no means made a concrete provide to signal him. The membership had Yoro as certainly one of their precedence targets to strengthen the defence following the departure of Nacho however sources have at all times insisted to ESPN that they’d not enter right into a bidding struggle for his providers.
The truth is, Madrid have been optimistic as a result of Yoro’s want was to hitch Madrid however the membership weren’t prepared to achieve the worth supplied by United for a participant who could be obtainable free of charge in simply 12 months.
Lille, who completed fourth in Ligue 1 final season to seal a spot within the 2024-25 Champions League third qualifying spherical, have accepted United’s bid and Yoro is now travelling to Manchester to debate private phrases and endure a medical.
Sources have advised ESPN, nevertheless, that whereas Yoro’s readiness to journey to Manchester exhibits that the participant is open to a transfer to Previous Trafford, there’s nonetheless work to do to get the deal over the road, regardless of Madrid’s reluctance to pursue a switch on the identical degree of United’s provide.
France under-21 worldwide Yoro is considered one of many brightest younger defensive skills in Europe after turning into a first-team common at Lille. He made his senior debut as a 16-year-old on the finish of the 2021-22 season.
United are concentrating on younger expertise this summer time because the membership’s new soccer board, led by Ineos proprietor Sir Jim Ratcliffe, try to rebuild Erik ten Hag’s squad with gamers who’ve each potential and the power to extend their worth within the group.
The pursuit of Yoro and Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt can be prone to result in numerous defensive departures from Previous Trafford this summer time with United ready to take heed to affords for Victor Lindelöf, Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Former France worldwide Raphaël Varane has already left the membership following the expiry of his contract final month.
Data from ESPN’s Rodrigo Faez contributed to this report.