Manchester United are set to win the race for Lille centre-back Leny Yoro despite a late attempt from Real Madrid to hijack their transfer, per reports.
Dan Ashworth has been working hard on a deal for the talented 18-year-old behind the scenes, with the Red Devils having a £52m bid (with add-ons) accepted by Lille.
As we exclusively revealed on Tuesday, Man Utd chose to abort a move for Bayern Munich centre-back Matthijs de Ligt to focus on signing Yoro, in a major U-turn.
Yoro initially preferred a move to Real Madrid, who have reportedly been preparing to launch a new bid for the talented defender in a late hijack attempt.
However, Man Utd’s gamble has paid off. According to elite transfer journalist David Ornstein, the Lille youngster is currently travelling to the UK to take his medical and finalise an agreement on personal terms.
Ornstein claims that there is “still work to do” but Man Utd’s signing of the centre-back is now “close” thanks to the work put in by Ashworth and Co.
Yoro fits INEOS’ philosophy of targeting the best young talents in Europe and could prove to be a fantastic long-term signing for the Red Devils.
Man Utd close in on Leny Yoro deal
Yoro is set to become the second signing of the INEOS era at Old Trafford after Joshua Zirkzee’s £35.8m move from Bologna.
The Frenchman has been brought in as a replacement for Raphael Varane and has the quality to slot straight into Man Utd’s starting XI despite his tender age.
He made 44 appearances across all competitions for Lille last season, scoring three goals and helping his side to an impressive 20 clean sheets in the process.
But with the futures of Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire still unclear at this stage, Man Utd could still sign two new centre-backs this summer.
Yoro is set to be the first through the door but TEAMtalk understands that the Red Devils remain big admirers of Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite.
Everton are standing firm on their valuation of over £70m and Man Utd could put the funds generated from the £27m sale of Mason Greenwood to Marseille towards a third offer for the 22-year-old.
De Ligt also remains of interest to Man Utd but sources have informed TEAMtalk that Branthwaite is higher on their shortlist than the Dutchman.
But barring a major twist, Yoro is set to become Man Utd’s next big signing.
