Man Utd make ‘CONCRETE’ move for wonderkid as City threaten hijack
Robin Bairner
- 7 Dec 2023 02:30 CST
- 9 min read
Manchester United and Manchester City are both interested in Lille centre-back Leny Yoro, who is one of the most talented young players in world football.
Yoro has been a revelation with Lille since breaking into the team last season, while he has rapidly gone on to establish himself as a key player for the Ligue 1 side over the course of this campaign.
The performances of the youngster, who only turned 18 in November, have not gone unnoticed by Premier League giants Man Utd and Man City, who have positioned themselves to sign the player, according to Le10Sport.
The French source reports that the two Manchester club have “just made a very concrete move towards” the fast-rising star.
It adds: “Our sources confirm that the two clubs have made contact with the targeted player and his club in the run up to the January transfer window.”
It adds that Yoro is of interest to all of Europe’s major clubs, notably PSG, but stress that Lille are seeking to extend the contract of the teenager, whose present deal expires in June 2025, making him vulnerable to leave France’s north as soon as the summer if no new agreement can be reached.
Yoro an elite talent
Yoro is a very highly rated young player and, according to data analytics firm SciSports, is performing as the fifth-strongest centre-back in the whole of Ligue 1 so far this season.
On top of this, he has established himself as one of the leading players aged 18 or under in world football. According to the data analytics experts, he is the seventh-best player in this category in the game at present.
Yoro vs Ligue 1 centre-backs: 2023/24
He boasts a high potential ceiling, too, comparable with that of Endrick, the Palmeiras striking sensation who has agreed a transfer to Real Madrid next summer.
Yoro is thought to have the capacity to become a key player at Manchester United and a first-team regular at City, making him a valuable addition to either club.
His Estimated Transfer Value stands at just €12.5 million, but with so many leading clubs targeting him, he is liable to move for a significantly higher fee, with William Saliba’s move from Saint-Etienne to Arsenal for €30m liable to be used as a benchmark.
