United target who ‘will be one of the best’ is willing to run down his contract to seal dream transfer in 2025

Manchester United have been linked with a host of centre-halves to bolster the backline after last season saw it decimated by an unprecedented injury crisis.

Currently, the transfer chiefs at Old Trafford are locked in negotiations with Bayern Munich over a five-year deal for yet another one of Erik ten Hag’s ex-Ajax protegees, Matthijs de Ligt.

United tried their luck again last night when testing Everton’s resolve with an improved £45 million bid for Jarrad Branthwaite – a £10m increase on their opening offer on the first day of the summer window. It has, expectedly, been rejected by the Toffees.

David Ornstein has confirmed in recent weeks that one name also high on INEOS’ shortlist was Lille starlet Leny Yoro, with the transfer expert claiming the 18-year-old was being ‘actively pursued’ by the club, as well as Liverpool and Real Madrid.

Yet, perhaps unsurprisingly, the 15-time European champions are poised to come out on top in the race for Yoro’s signature. The player has made clear his desire to prioritise a move to Madrid over anywhere else, so much so that he’s willing to stay at Lille and see out the remaining year of his contract to ensure he can complete the move next summer.

This is because both clubs are taking their time hashing out the terms of a transfer, as the Ligue 1 outfit want to recuperate around £33.8m from his sale, as per The Athletic.

Former Lille boss Paulo Fonseca was well aware of the world-class prospect he had at his proposal last season, going as far as to predict that Yoro will establish himself as one of the best players in his position in the coming years.

Fonseca’s high praise for sought-after starlet

“To me, the players don’t have age, they have quality,” Fonseca told BBC Sport back in April. “Because here we don’t have the possibility to buy very expensive players, we find a way to make the young players grow.

“I believe Leny, in the next year, will be at one of the best clubs in Europe. He started here at 16 with us. He is very ambitious but very disciplined. He grew a lot, but he is a kid with a big maturity, [and] with big quality.

“He’s very focused, very concentrated, he wants to learn every day, and I have no doubt in modern football he will be one of the best central defenders in the world.”