Chelsea and Man United face major blow in their pursuit of £51m-rated defender

Chelsea and Manchester United transfer target Leny Yoro, who plays for Lille, is reportedly being pursued by Real Madrid this summer.

The 18-year-old, who has solidified his spot in Lille’s senior squad over the last 18 months, has become one of the continent’s brightest talents.

Yoro has so far this season made 35 appearances in the first team for Les Dogues in all competitions, including 24 starts out of 25 in Ligue 1.

Chelsea and Man United face competition to sign him

The tall centre-back has been a key figure of the French team, who are currently fourth in Ligue 1.

The French club have kept 14 clean sheets when the young defender has played for them, which further highlights his importance to the team.

Ahead of the summer transfer window, Yoro’s remarkable progress is rumoured to have attracted the attention of many elite European teams, including Premier League giants Chelsea and Man United.

Yoro has also been linked to Liverpool, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, but the Daily Mail reports that Real Madrid are putting up a fierce fight for the defender’s signing.

The report adds that now that David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger, and captain Nacho Fernandez have all reached their 30s, Florentino Perez, the president of Los Blancos, is looking to add a young defender.

Yoro was originally valued by Lille at over €100 million (£85 million) during the January transfer window; however, that amount is rumoured to have decreased to €60 million (£51 million).

The defender is not interested in a move to Chelsea or Man United

The defender is keen to join the Spanish giants which would be a massive blow to the hopes of Chelsea and Man United.

Real Madrid have made signing the best young talent in the world their habit. They want to make a team around the likes of Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and they see Yoro becoming part of that young core.

This summer, Endrick, a 17-year-old striker, is expected to join Real Madrid from Palmeiras in a €60 million move.