4 months ago
17 Transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano has praised Manchester United for their “smart” and “perfect” strategy to beat Real Madrid to the signing of Lille defender Leny Yoro, even if it looks like being an expensive deal.
On the face of it, Man Utd are paying a lot for a relatively unproven young player who also has just one year left on his contract at Lille, but there’s more to it than that as he’s one of the most highly regarded and sought after talents in world football, who had been keen to join Real Madrid.
However, speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, Romano explained how the Red Devils did well to strongly enter into the conversation for Yoro and come in with a higher bid than Madrid to get the deal done.
Although the 18-year-old had been keen to wait for Real, it seems United eventually convinced him with a strong and convincing approach to the player and his family to discuss the project at the club.
Yoro transfer: How Man Utd beat Real Madrid to “elite” defender
Leny Yoro is set for a transfer to Manchester UnitedDiscussing the Yoro transfer saga, Romano said: “Leny Yoro to Manchester United is a done deal. We’re just waiting now for the player to sign his contract with Man United, but everything is done in terms of the agreement.
“Lille already accepted an offer last week of €50m plus €12m in add-ons – a fantastic offer for Lille for a player who is out of contract next summer – and then United were also able to agree a contract with Yoro, who will join on a five-year deal with the option of one more year on top of that.
“Yoro has already been in Manchester in the last 24 hours to undergo medical tests, with the first part of those tests already done. He will complete more tests and then sign the contract as a new Manchester United player. My opinion is that although this is expensive, it looks like an excellent and elite signing for Man United, as we know Yoro was also wanted by a number of other top clubs.

“Real Madrid made their move but it was always the same, clear strategy: join now for €20-25m or join next summer on free transfer. Real have been clear with Yoro but he didn’t want to wait longer, Real were never going to pay €50m for a player out of contract in one season. Man United’s strategy was expensive but absolutely smart and perfect, the only way to sign the player.
“Paris Saint-Germain were also interested but Yoro wanted to try a new challenge in a different league, so really it was Real Madrid who were the main rivals to United in this deal. Yoro waited one week for Real Madrid, but they were out of the conversation with Lille after they accepted Man United’s bid. Then after a week of waiting, they understood that Yoro eventually decided to accept the chance to move to Old Trafford instead.
“Real Madrid was Yoro’s biggest dream, he really wanted to go there, but then he decided to move to Man United after seeing how strong and convincing they were in talks with the player and his family, also in terms of the project and offering him an important salary.”
