Manchester United’s €62 million bid for Leny Yoro, the defender from Lille, has been accepted. Yoro finds himself in a position where he needs to choose whether to accept the proposal, while keeping in mind that Real Madrid also has its eyes set on him. As of now, United is discussing personal terms with the player’s agents.
The offer from United comprises an immediate €50 million, followed by €12 million in add-ons. On the other hand, Real Madrid, which apparently values the defender less, may opt to wait until the upcoming summer considering that Yoro becomes a free agent then. Therefore, it seems Ligue 1 club would favour Yoro completing the move to United.
The 18-year-old, who primarily plays at centre back, marked his debut for Lille in May 2022, when he was only 16, making him the club’s second youngest player. Currently, United is also pursuing Jarrad Branthwaite from Everton and Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich, as manager Erik Ten Hag is looking to bolster his defence. However, this could mean that either Victor Lindelöf or Harry Maguire, or possibly both, will have to be let go.
In order to raise funds for this, United have carried out a number of sales, including Willy Kambwala to Villarreal for a fee that could go up to €11.5 million, Donny van de Beek to Girona for a potential total of €9.1 million, and Álvaro Fernández to Benfica for €6 million.
Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna is likely to be the first signing of United in this window, at a fee of €42 million. There is also persistent interest in Manuel Ugarte, Paris Saint-Germain’s defensive midfielder. For United to acquire Ugarte, who has a contract till 2028 and is valued at around €45 million, they may have to consider selling Casemiro. An alternative could also be a loan agreement for the Uruguayan player.