Real Madrid stance gives Man Utd boost in quest for Yoro

Jacque Talbot

Updated: 14 Jul 2024 07:58 CDT
3 min read

Real Madrid has made it clear they will not pay more than €40 million for Lille defender Leny Yoro as Manchester United continue to try and persuade the youngster to join them instead.

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AS reports that negotiations between the player and Real Madrid are set to intensify with the involvement of the club's chief scout. Following the departures of former captain Nacho Fernandez and Rafa Marin to Napoli, Real Madrid is keen to strengthen their defence and see Yoro as someone who can lead them into the future.

Yoro has emerged as the top candidate to fill the central defender position after his glowing season in Ligue 1, in which he made the Team of the Year. The teenager has been under Real Madrid’s radar throughout 2024 but Man Utd have already had an offer accepted for the player.

Real Madrid have made a €40 million offer, but Lille have accepted a €55 million bid from the Red Devils. Yoro prefers a move to Madrid but is open to moving to Man Utd as well.

The Premier League giants are looking to sign the youngster despite their attempts to lure Matthijs de Ligt of Bayern Munich to Old Trafford as well.

Indeed, Los Blancos’ chief scout, Juni Calafat, is spearheading negotiations with French club Lille for Yoro. The club believe that the teenager can follow in the footsteps of French talent such as Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga, who have thrived since signing for the La Liga giants.

Compared

Leny Yoro

D (C)

Lille U19

Leny Yoro

D (C)

Lille U19

VS

Matthijs de Ligt

D (C)

Bayern

Matthijs de Ligt

D (C)

Bayern

2023/2024

Season Statistics

2023/2024

2	Key Passes	4
3690	Minutes Played	1929
50	Interceptions	18
46	Tackles	21

© IMAGO - Leny Yoro is liked by the elite sides

How good is Leny Yoro

Yoro had the highest success rate in duels last campaign - he is an intelligent defender, rarely tricked by feints and knowing when to dive a foot in or wait. He effectively prevents attackers from turning, often disrupting their possession even without winning the ball cleanly. He has a calm demeanour when defending and it’s this organised approach that means he does not get caught out by runners in behind.

Standing at 6ft 3ins, Yoro has the height to ensure that the Man Utd backline is not overrun with high balls into the box, with Martinez having an extremely low volume of aerial duals won. Yoro boasts the best success rate for headers at Lille (67.86%) and the fifth-best overall in Ligue 1.