Manchester United have completed the signing of 18-year-old centre-back Leny Yoro from Lille for a fee that could rise to £58.9m, having been working on a deal since last season that included holding early meetings with the player to convince him to sign.
The 18-year-old has signed a five-year deal at Old Trafford, with the option for a further year, after United saw off competition from Real Madrid to sign the teenage prodigy, who was named in the Ligue 1 team of the year last season.
United will pay Lille an initial €62m (£52.2m) for Yoro, with a further €8m (£6.7m) in add-ons, and having not been part of France’s Euro 2024 squad or included in their squad for the Olympics, he is expected to join up with his teammates immediately and go on the club’s US tour.
While Real have long been considered the front runners for Yoro, even indicating they would be prepared to wait a year and sign him for free when his Lille contract expired in 2025, United had been working in the background prior to the end of last season to strengthen their case.
Erik ten Hag and other club bosses held multiple meetings with Yoro to outline their plans for him before United had a bid accepted by the Ligue 1 side last week. United’s scouts had identified Yoro as a top target to freshen up the centre of defence.
He has played 60 first-team games for Lille already and Yoro said his conversations with the club had convinced him Old Trafford was the best destination to continue his development.
“Signing for a club with the stature and ambition of Manchester United so early in my career is an incredible honour,” he said. “Since my first conversations with the club, they set out a clear plan for how I can develop in Manchester as part of this exciting project, and showed a lot of care for me and my family.
“I know about the history of young players at Manchester United and feel it can be the perfect place to reach my potential and achieve my ambitions, together with my new teammates. I cannot wait to get started.”
