Club president has confirmed £80m Manchester United target will not be sold

Leny Yoro, Lille’s highly-rated young defender, may be difficult for Manchester United to sign this year since the French team is keen to keep him at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

Man United are rumored to be looking to sign a new centre-back. Raphael Varane’s potential departure from Old Trafford this summer would provide room in the squad for a new defender to join and challenge Harry Maguire for the position behind Lisandro Martinez.

Yoro, an 18-year-old who is having a breakthrough season at Lille, has been linked to the Premier League’s biggest teams, with Liverpool also interested in the defender.

Yoro made 15 appearances in the previous season, but he has now gained a spot in the starting eleven and has played 24 times this year, adding three goals to his numbers.

Yoro is an extremely self-assured player who can play with ease on either foot and is excellent at creating plays from the back, even at such a young age.

Olivier Letang, the president of Lille, is not pleased with the volume of rumours circulating about the team’s newest star player.

In conversation with with Le Parisien, the chief said: “Yoro will not leave in January, so there are no negotiations, no discussions, contrary to what some suggest.

“I read somewhere that I had set a price, which is completely false.”

It was previously reported that Lille are expected to demand about £80 million for their academy graduate; however, it appears that these claims are inaccurate.

Jean-Clair Todibo, who plays for Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s other team, Nice, is well-liked by Manchester United. Furthermore, Todibo is likely to cost £45–50 million, a significant decrease from Yoro.

With some big decisions to be made at Old Trafford in the near future, signing a new centre-back is at the top of the priority list for the club hierarchy.