Why Leno Yoro has picked Manchester United despite Real Madrid transfer interest
Leny Yoro is edging closer to becoming a Man Utd player after the clubs involved agreed a £58.7million deal with add-ons - despite interest from Real Madrid.
Manchester United have been here before - only they look like winning the transfer duel this time around.
Leny Yoro is edging closer to becoming a United player after the Premier League giants agreed a deal worth up to £58.7million with add-ons for the highly-rated French teenager. The centre-back is set to touch down at Carrington for a medical and go through all the necessary formalities to get his move over the line.
It represents quite a coup for United in their current guise, especially so when Real Madrid non other also had their crosshairs fixed on Yoro this summer. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? It might have felt like déjà vu.
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Rewind to 2011 and the two clubs went head-to-head for Raphael Varane. Sir Alex Ferguson and key figures behind the scenes at Old Trafford admired the then-French teenager - who was rapidly making a name for himself as a global force - and the club had to wait a decade to finally welcome Varane to Manchester after Jose Mourinho also flirted with a deal midway through his trophy-laden spell in Spain's capital.
United did get their man in 2021. Varane was on the wane at that stage, but still classy enough to put in some top performances when fit enough to start - although those dates were few and far between - and the football world has effectively gone full circle as United get ready to replace him with the next big French hope. The Manchester Evening News reported that United had a bid accepted for Yoro on July 9.
However, even at that juncture, the player was thought to be swaying towards a switch to Madrid, although the Spanish champions never actually made an attempt to match United financially for their second summer transfer. As it transpired, an initial £42million has been forked out, and Yoro could end up costing £58.7million with various additional clauses - but it will be money well spent if he lives up to such a grand billing.
Yoro will be granted time to settle into new surroundings, hone his game and adjust to the rigours of the Premier League, but the likelihood of him being exposed to regular first-team football at United before he would with Real is a key factor in the Frenchman settling on Old Trafford rather than holding out for the Santiago Bernabeu.
The reigning Champions League holders are blessed with high-quality options in defence, while United's overhaul at the back plays into Yoro's hands. It is also thought Real wanted to play the waiting game and sign him on a free transfer next summer - but Lille were unwilling to let him run down the final 12 months of his contract.
Their and potentially Real's loss will, fingers crossed, be United's gain - from the present and into the future.
