Man Utd must beat Liverpool to signing Lille defender Leny Yoro this summer

Manchester United must beat Liverpool to the signing of Lille centre-back Leny Yoro during the summer transfer window.

Yoro is currently one of the most-sought after teenagers in French football. The 18-year-old has become a main stay in Lille’s defence in the current campaign.

The Ligue 1 outfit are bracing for his potential exit in the summer and Le10Sport have claimed that United and Liverpool refuse to give up on signing him.

It will take a premium fee of €70 million to prise him away and in our opinion, the Red Devils must beat their arch-rivals to the services of the wonderkid.

Yoro could be Raphael Varane’s successor at Man Utd
United could part ways with Raphael Varane during the summer summer, having decided against triggering a 12-month extension clause in his current €397,000-a-week contract.

The centre-back feels that he is being pushed through the exit door. He could be asked to take a pay-cut but as things stand, he could be released when his contract expires on June 30.

In our view, this could pave the way for big investment into a young centre-back. Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s management could focus on an emerging talent over an experienced signing.

Yoro could be the solution. At just 18, the centre-back has been brilliant from the right centre-back role this term, completing an impressive 92 per cent of his passes in Ligue 1.

The youngster has also made 4.3 recoveries, 3.2 clearances and 1.2 tackles per game while winning almost 67 per cent of his duels. He has won 69 per cent of his aerial challenges.

On top of this, he has lost possession on only 5.9 occasions per outing. Yoro has almost similar strengths to Varane, but would be an ideal successor with his huge potential.

Liverpool will also have an eye for him with Virgil van Dijk recently saying that he could follow Jurgen Klopp through the exit door. This could see the Reds invest big on Yoro.

Hence, United should be pro-active in their pursuit. They have a good working relationship with Yoro’s super-agent Jorge Mendes and need to agree personal terms in advance.