Man Utd agree deal worth over £50m for Lille defender Leny Yoro; Man Utd optimistic they can sign 18-year-old despite interest from Real Madrid; Marseille edging closer to signing Man Utd forward Mason Greenwood; Fulham considering second bid for Man Utd midfielder Scott McTominay
Thursday 18 July 2024 20:15, UK
Lille defender Leny Yoro is closing in on a move to Manchester United after a deal worth over £50m was agreed.
The 18-year-old completed a medical in England on Wednesday. He is expected to finalise the details of his contract on Thursday with a formal announcement of his move to follow.
Yoro will sign a five-year contract with the option of a further 12 months. The deal is worth over £50m.
It was thought Real Madrid were the Frenchman's preference, but United have been working to convince him to join them.
Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite and Bayern Munich's Matthijs de Ligt are players the club still admire - and remain options, subject to having budget and squad space available as the window evolves.
Signing two central defenders this summer is possible for Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag following the exits of Raphael Varane and Willy Kambwala, and further departures would increase that likelihood.
The move for Yoro comes with Lille finding themselves in a difficult situation because he has one year left on his deal and can speak to clubs outside of France from January.
Yoro made 41 appearances in all competitions for the Ligue 1 side last season and scored three goals.
French football expert Jonathan Johnson told Sky Sports News:
"Yoro is a very complete defender for someone so young. Watching him in the flesh, he's very, very impressive. He's imposing, he's good on the ball, he can use his frame to his advantage.
"He really does play like a veteran, the maturity he has is hugely impressive and he reads the game very well. He has a very complete profile and is arguably the best young defensive talent in Europe.
"This is a big upgrade for Manchester United in terms of building for the future. This could be one of the best transfer deals of the summer."
Marseille are edging closer to a deal to sign Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood.
Personal terms have been agreed in principle and the 22-year-old has been given permission to undergo a medical.
The Ligue 1 side and Man Utd agreed a deal worth £26.5m (€31.6m) earlier this week.
United also have a significant sell-on clause, thought to be between 40 to 50 per cent.
The final decision over a move to Roberto De Zerbi's side now rests with Greenwood.
Lazio also bid for the forward but now appear to be moving on to other targets.
Internal discussions are continuing at Fulham over whether to go back in with a second bid for Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay.
Sources have told Sky Sports News that Man Utd rejected a bid worth £17m from Fulham earlier this summer.
The Scotland international was Fulham's top target to replace Joao Palhinha last summer and Palhinha has now joined Bayern this month.
Tottenham's Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg and Fluminense's Andre are also options Marco Silva's side are looking at.
McTominay is also attracting interest from Galatasaray, while United are expecting bids from Saudi Arabia for Casemiro.
While United are not actively looking to sell, serious offers are likely to be considered, and against that backdrop, dialogue is open with Paris Saint-Germain over midfielder Manuel Ugarte.
The 2024 summer transfer window officially closes on August 30 at 11pm UK time in the Premier League and 11.30pm in Scotland.
The Premier League has brought forward Deadline Day to link up with the other major leagues in Europe. The closing dates were set following discussions with the leagues in England, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.
