- 20 hours ago
Lille set Leny Yoro asking price as Man Utd make move
Robin Bairner
- 15 Dec 2023 14:58 GMT
- 3 min read
Lille have named the price they expect for talented teenage defender Leny Yoro, who has attracted interest from the likes of Manchester United, PSG, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City in recent weeks.
Yoro has had a €50 million price tag put on his head by the Ligue 1 side, who on Thursday progressed to the last 16 of the Conference League with the teenager resting on their bench.
Despite his absence from the midweek match, though, Yoro has been a fixture in Lille’s plans this season, featuring on 19 occasions as they have forged the second-strongest defensive record in France’s top flight behind only Nice.
The maturity and quality with which the 18-year-old has played over the course of the last year has been remarkable, with the teenager the third most valuable U19 defender in the world behind Ajax’s Jorrel Hato and Rennes’ Jeanuel Belocian.
His major strength is that he wins more aerial duels than any other defender in Europe, ahead of Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk.
He is well backed, too, having joined Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes at Polaris Sport earlier this year.
Most valuable U19 defenders in world football
| Rank | Name | Club | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jorrel Hato | Ajax | €22.3m |
| 2 | Jeanuel Belocian | Rennes | €14.7m |
| 3 | Leny Yoro | Lille | €12.5m |
| 4 | Andrei Borza | Rapid | €10.7m |
| 5 | Jorne Spileers | Club Brugge | €8.3m |
Long list of clubs chasing Yoro
Interest in Yoro has exploded following his arrival at a new agency, with interest from PSG made known rapidly after the youngster signed up with Mendes.
Foot Mercato reports: "It is a high price, but one that PSG would be ready to pay as it is convinced by the fact that the French U21 international represents the future of French and even world football in his position."
All of the Premier League’s biggest clubs have since been linked with the teenager, who has been touted as the next William Saliba due to the prodigious qualities that he has shown in Ligue 1 at a young age.
Man Utd have perhaps been foremost among the teams chasing Yoro, with reports in France indicating that the Red Devils have made “concrete” progress when it came to making a move for him earlier this month.
Lille are known to be seeking to extend the contract of the player, whose current deal expires in 2025, making him liable to leave in the summer if no new agreement is struck before then.
Yoro, though, could be off before then, with interest in him building as the January transfer window nears.
