Manchester United have reached an agreement with Lille on the transfer fee of 18-year-old center back Leny Yoro. That doesn’t mean the deal is done, not by any means. While the Ligue 1 club want the player to take this arrangement and move on, Yoro himself wants Real Madrid instead.
Ultimately, it will be up to the central defender himself. Madrid are said to be confident of the situation, as they have already agreed personal terms with the player.
? Manchester United formal bid worth over €50m for Leny Yoro has been accepted by Lille today.
Lille, insisting with Yoro to accept Man Utd as it’s best proposal on their table.
???? Leny Yoro has always given priority to Real Madrid, waiting for them.
Decision up to Yoro. pic.twitter.com/8GnSUSLoEh
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 9, 2024
Above you can say the latest on the situation, via worldwide transfer guru Fabrizio Romano. United are willing to pay €50m (or £43m), while Madrid only want to pay about £34 million. So you can see why Lille want him to go to United,
United are pursuing Leny Yoro as a hedge if the Matthijs de Ligt and/or Jarrad Branthwaite situations don’t work out. In the case of the former, it ultimately should, but it seems to be dragging on a bit right now.
Here is a link to the latest on that situation.
In terms of the latter, well, the two sides are so far apart right now in valuation that it is just hard to see that deal eventually coming together. Here is the latest on that transfer saga.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.