Man Utd now want to sign 'ambitious' 18yo wonderkid, club open to £34m sale - report
Manchester United remain in the race to sign Lille defender Leny Yoro this summer, according to L’Equipe.
The 18-year-old centre-back had a brilliant start to the 2023/24 campaign with Les Dogues, but his performances dipped during the back end of the season.
Despite this, he is highly valued among elite European clubs. Yoro reportedly prefers a move to Real Madrid, but United have not given up on signing him.
The Red Devils remain in the pursuit of the highly-rated teenager while Paris Saint-Germain are also optimistic of securing a deal for the central defender.
Yoro will enter the final year of his contract next month. Lille previously valued him at £51 million, but are now prepared to accept £34m for his summer exit.
Yoro would be a good long-term signing
The Red Devils are set to part ways with Raphael Varane when his contract expires on June 30.
The focus could be on signing an emerging centre-back over an established star on big wages.
Yoro would fit right into the club’s requirement. The Frenchman is a strong ball-playing centre-back and he had a passing accuracy of 92 percent in Ligue 1 last season.
The youngster also won 63 percent of his duels with three clearances and four recoveries per game. He lost possession on just 5.3 occasions per outing for Les Dogues.
Yoro has attributes which are quite similar to Varane. He is relatively inexperienced after just one full season, but he has the potential to become an elite centre-back.
It seems United are keen on landing his signature, but it may eventually depend on the stance of the wonderkid, who is ‘very ambitious‘, according to former Lille manager Paulo Fonseca.
Yoro appears determined to move to Madrid this summer. United could entice him with the assurance of a regular starting berth which may not be guaranteed at the Bernabeu.
Stats from Sofascore.com