Man Utd have prioritised adding a centre-back this summer. They have just made a second bid, worth around £50m, to Everton for Jarrad Branthwaite, but it was rejected. They have finally turned their attention to Leny Yoro, which has yielded positive results.
Specifically, Man Utd reached an agreement to recruit Yoro from Lille for 62 million euros. The French football representative urged Yoro to come to Old Trafford because this was the best offer they could receive at the negotiating table.
If there are no surprises, Man Utd will complete their plan in this summer transfer window to strengthen their defense by bringing in a player considered a new generation young talent.
After successfully recruiting Yoro, it is likely that Man Utd will “reverse” their own plan. The Athletic said that Manchester United is likely to sign only one central defender in the summer transfer window.
The Red Devils initially agreed personal terms with Bayern Munich star Matthijs de Ligt, but have yet to make a concrete offer for the Dutch centre-back.
Coach Erik ten Hag previously worked with De Ligt at Ajax for two and a half seasons. The Dutchman flourished as a teenager, but he failed to find the same consistency during his time at Juventus and Bayern.
De Ligt is still a quality centre-back with an extremely good passing ability. This player is considered a good contract for the Red Devils as the successor to the position left by Raphael Varane.
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However, it is no surprise that Man United would rather sign Yoro than De Ligt this summer. The French centre-back has much more potential to develop. Not to mention, Yoro is 6 years younger than De Ligt.
Yoro is also a central defender with excellent ball-passing skills. He also impresses with his ability in the air, ball recovery and is extremely strong in tackling and clearing the defense.
The youngster is said to cost €10m more than De Ligt, but is worth it given his age and huge potential. Completing the deal could lay the foundations for Man Utd’s defence for at least the next 10 years.
Scouts have been monitoring the highly sought-after talent and have reported very positive feedback to coach Erik ten Hag and owners INEOS.
Yoro made 32 appearances in the French championship last season, scoring twice and keeping 15 clean sheets as Lille finished fourth. He is confident in possession, passing and dribbling.
Yoro can escape pressing very well. This is the reason why many players often limit their approach to Yoro. The downside is that Yoro is 1m90 tall but only weighs about 83kg. Therefore, he sometimes shows weakness in the dispute.
But every young player needs time to develop physical strength. Yoro is only 18 and that can be gradually improved.
