Man Utd offer close to £51m to agree deal for ‘very ambitious’ French star | OneFootball

Manchester United are pushing to sign Lille defender Leny Yoro amid his desire to join Real Madrid, according to Spanish publication AS.

The Red Devils are in the transfer market for a new centre-back with Raphael Varane set to leave the club when his contract expires this month.

Yoro is one of the top names on their radar and United are reportedly ‘very serious’ about signing him.

They have already made an offer ‘very close’ to the £51 million price tag set by Lille.

Madrid are also big admirers of the Frenchman, but they are reluctant to pay more than £34m for Yoro whose contract expires in June 2025.

Lille ideally prefer to sell to the highest bidder, but they may need to convince Yoro who appears hell-bent on joining the European champions.

The ‘very ambitious‘ star could be prepared to join Madrid on a free transfer next summer if he does not make the move this year.

United need to persuade Yoro with a regular starting role

Yoro is one of the best young centre-backs in Ligue 1. He had an impressive breakthrough season with Lille where he completed 92 percent of his passes.

The teenager also won 63 percent of his duels with 3.9 recoveries and three clearances per game. He lost possession on just five occasions per appearance.

United are willing to meet Lille’s financial demands, but they must persuade the Frenchman to move to Old Trafford this summer.

The Red Devils still have the chance of convincing him by assuring him of a regular starting role.

With Varane heading for the exit door, Yoro could be handed a spot alongside Lisandro Martinez. He may not have the same guarantee at Madrid in the short term.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com.