Manchester United have agreed in principle to a €50 million (£42.26 million) deal for Leny Yoro, an 18-year-old French defender from Lille.
The deal comes as United have seen their second bid for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite rejected.
Yoro has expressed a desire to move to Real Madrid, but their offers have fallen short of Lille’s valuation. If Lille cannot agree a deal with Real Madrid, Yoro could stay at Lille and move for nothing next summer.
Yoro is in the final year of his contract and can speak to clubs outside France from January.
Manchester United are looking to avoid drawn-out transfer sagas and have a specific player profile in mind for positions they want to strengthen. They are considering multiple players who fit this profile, including Branthwaite and Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt.
United have also continued negotiations with Bayern Munich over De Ligt, with talks described as positive. Bayern are seeking £42.5 million plus add-ons for the Netherlands international, who is currently at Euro 2024.
Manchester United have not ruled out signing two central defenders in this window. They are looking to replace Raphael Varane and will depend on whether there are more departures in that position. Victor Lindelof’s future could be key, as he is entering the final year of his contract and there are currently no talks planned over a new deal.
The summer transfer window in the Premier League and Scottish Premiership is officially open and will close on August 30 at 11pm UK time in England and at 11.30pm in Scotland.
