Manchester United have secured the acquisition of 18-year-old defender Leny Yoro from French Ligue 1 club Lille, as confirmed by both clubs on Thursday.
Sources informed ESPN that United agreed to a fee of €62 million, $67.6m, with an additional €8m, $8.7m, in potential add-ons for the France under-21 international.
Despite significant interest from Real Madrid, Yoro chose to join United after the Spanish club decided against entering a bidding war with the Premier League side.
Sources indicated that Yoro had informed Madrid of his decision to sign with United on Tuesday night, following their lack of action.
“Signing for a club with the stature and ambition of Manchester United so early in my career is an incredible honour,” Yoro remarked in the announcement.
“Since my first conversations with the club, they set out a clear plan for how I can develop in Manchester as part of this exciting project, and showed a lot of care for me and my family.
“I know about the history of young players at Manchester United and feel it can be the perfect place to reach my potential and achieve my ambitions, together with my new teammates. I cannot wait to get started,” he added.
Yoro will be joining Joshua Zirkzee, who transferred from Bologna on Sunday, at Old Trafford.
These signings have been facilitated by the new football leadership at United, established following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s arrival as a minority owner.
The process was also supported by club scouts and manager Erik ten Hag, according to sources.
“Leny is one of the most exciting young defenders in world football; he possesses every attribute needed to develop into a top-class centre-back,” stated United’s new sporting director Dan Ashworth.
“Having had such an excellent start to his career, we are excited to support him in reaching his immense potential here at Manchester United.
“This club has a fantastic record of developing young players, whether homegrown or brought in from elsewhere, and giving them the required guidance, time, and patience to grow and flourish. Under Erik ten Hag and our excellent staff, we will ensure that Leny has the perfect platform to achieve the success that everyone across the club is aiming for,” he stated.
Yoro and Zirkzee are effectively stepping into the roles vacated by Anthony Martial and Raphaël Varane, who left the club earlier this summer.
United is still considering further defensive acquisitions, with ESPN reporting that the club continues to have an interest in Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt and Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite. However, transfer fees remain a potential hurdle, as evidenced by United’s £50 million ($64m) bid for Branthwaite being rejected.
Yoro is recognized as one of Europe’s most promising young defensive talents, having become a first-team regular at Lille and making his senior debut at just 16 during the 2021-22 season.
