Man United CONFIRM £52m signing of Leny Yoro as club's new-look transfer department get their man after stealing a march on Liverpool and Real Madrid to land 18-year-old star

Manchester United have confirmed the £52million signing of 18-year-old French star Leny Yoro from Lille.

United’s offer of £42m plus £10m in add-ons for the defender was accepted last week, but there were concerns that Yoro’s preference was to join Real Madrid.

However, United have moved swiftly to get the deal done and are finalising personal terms over a five-year contract with the option of a 12-month extension.

Yoro, who made 41 appearances for Lille last season, has also attracted interest from Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain.

The centre back, described as a generational talent, flew in to Manchester for a medical on Wednesday. He had been waiting on Madrid to match United's bid, but Lille pushed the defender to join the Red Devils with the Champions League winners unwilling to pay the fee.

He was Liverpool's prime target, too, but the Reds are understood to have been convinced he only wanted to move to Spain.

Madrid were believed to be more interested in waiting to recruit the 18-year-old next summer when he would have become a free agent, which in turn will saw Lille push to get United's deal over the line sooner rather than later.

The announcement from Man United came on Thursday evening and is subject to registration, but Yoro has signed a contract which will keep him at Old Trafford until 2029. 

'Signing for a club with the stature and ambition of Manchester United so early in my career is an incredible honour,' Yoro said upon completion of the deal. '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 team-mates. I cannot wait to get started.'

He becomes United’s second signing of the summer after Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee moved to Old Trafford for £36.5m. 

Centre-back and centre-forward were United’s priority positions in this transfer window, so new co-owners Ineos and manager Erik ten Hag will be pleased to get both deals tied up so early in pre-season after appointing Dan Ashworth as sporting director.

United are interested in signing a second centre-back, having held talks with Bayern Munich over £42m-rated Matthijs de Ligt and having two offers of up to £50m for Jarrad Branthwaite rejected by Everton. However, it’s understood that could depend on raising extra cash through player sales.

They could also look to offload another central defender after Raphael Varane left as a free agent and Willy Kambwala joined Villarreal for £9.9m.

United have rejected an offer from Fulham for Scott McTominay, which is believed to be lower than the £30m bid they turned down from West Ham a year ago, while the Hammers are weighing up a £15m move for Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

United hope to sign a defensive midfielder and right-back this summer, and will consider offers for McTominay and Wan-Bissaka if they match the quality and value of their players.

Yoro, who is viewed as a generational talent, made his debut for the Lille reserve team in 2022, signing his first professional contract with the club in January of that year.

His professional debut came in May 2022 aged 16, making him the second youngest-ever player to play for the club.

In total, he has made 55 appearances for the French club, scoring two goals, and helped the club to a fourth-place finish in Ligue 1 last season.

He is also a youth international with France, currently starring for the Under-21 team, having also featured at U17, U18 and U19 level.