Manchester United have signed defender, Leny Yoro from Lille for a £52.1m transfer fee.
Yoro had been heavily linked with Real Madrid who only offered £21m as a maximum bid, coupled with option of a free transfer next summer.
That possibility prompted Utd to swoop quickly with an initial £42m fixed fee, followed by £10.1m in add-on fees subject to various undisclosed clauses within the deal which totals £52.1m overall.
Yoro has signed a five-year contract at Old Trafford until June 2029 with the option to extend for a further year.
Speaking for the first time as a Man Utd player, Yoro was excited to join a club of their stature this early in his career.
“Signing for a club with the stature and ambition of Manchester United so early in my career is an incredible honour.
“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.”
Utd’s Sporting Director, Dan Ashworth added: “Leny is one of the most exciting young defenders in world football; he possesses every attribute needed to develop into a top-class centre-back.
“Having had such an excellent start to his career, we are excited to support him in reaching his immense potential here at Manchester United.
“This club has a fantastic record of developing young players, whether homegrown or brought in from elsewhere, and giving them the required guidance, time and patience to grow and flourish.
“Under Erik ten Hag and our excellent staff we will ensure that Leny has the perfect platform to achieve the success that everyone across the club is aiming for.”
Yoro began his junior career at Alfortville in 2011 but soon moved to Villeneuve-d’Ascq a year later, where he spent five years before he joined Lille Academy where he graduated through the ranks.
The 19 year-old eventually made his senior first-team debut in May 2022 in a 3-1 win away to Nice in Ligue 1, and went on to make 60 appearances in total which included three goals that were all scored last season.
Lille President, Olivier Letang paid tribute to Yoro as he praised the youngster for his development and work ethic, whilst wishing him well at Utd but iterated that the door is always open for a future return.
“We are always sad when a boy from the club leaves us. But we are also happy and proud when these young boys become men and footballers of the highest level, having grown up in sport and in a human way within the beautiful family of LOSC.
“We are proud that Leny, like others before him, can join the biggest clubs in the world. Proud of the work accomplished by the whole club, by all those who accompanied Leny during his seven years with the Dogues.
“I would like to thank Leny personally for his investment, as well as for the sincere and trusting relationship we have established in order to build an individual project for him, as part of the overall project of LOSC.
“It was time for Leny to take this step and we now wish him all the best for the rest of his professional career, with many victories and many titles.
“He knows that LOSC is and will remain his home, and that its doors will always be open to him.”
Yoro is currently part of France’s Under-21s and was named in the preliminary squad for 2024 Olympics on French soil, but was released due to Lille’s involvement in Champions League Qualifying in early August 2024.
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