Leny Yoro 'set for Man Utd medical' as shock £53m transfer nears
- Leny Yoro nearing move to Man Utd after £53m bid accepted by Lille
- Defender said to have preferred Real Madrid but they have failed to match Red Devils' offer
- Yoro to fly to England to undergo medical and discuss personal terms
By Sean Walsh
Manchester United are closing in on the signing of Leny Yoro after he agreed to travel for a medical and finalise personal terms, a report has claimed.
Yoro is widely regarded as one of Europe's top young centre-backs following a superb 2023/24 campaign with Lille.
The 18-year-old has notably been courted by Real Madrid, but they have been reluctant to match Lille's asking price, which stands at around £53m. Yoro has one year left to run on his contract and if a deal was not agreed with Lille this summer, Madrid were hopeful of bringing him in on a free transfer next year.
United had a bid accepted by Lille last week, but there was initial hesitancy from Yoro over a move to Old Trafford as he would have preferred to sign for Madrid.
But David Ornstein of The Athletic reports that a deal to take Yoro to United is now close. The defender will head to England for a medical and to thrash out personal terms.
Although an agreement has not yet been finalised and 'there is still work to be done', United have taken a major step towards securing one of their top targets.
Bayern Munich's Matthijs de Ligt is also of interest to United, while they have already seen two bids rejected by Everton for Jarrad Branthwaite. Though it is plausible that the Red Devils sign two centre-backs this summer, The Athletic adds that another arrival at the back will likely hinge on United selling some players first.
Netherlands striker Joshua Zirkzee became the first signing of the INEOS era last week when he joined from Bologna and Yoro could now soon follow.
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