Manchester United are not prepared to give up on Lille defender Leny Yoro amid his preference to join Real Madrid, according to Sky Sports’ Dharmesh Sheth.
The Red Devils are currently in advanced talks with Bayern Munich over signing centre-back Matthijs de Ligt. The Dutchman is anticipated to join the club very soon.
However, United have not ruled out signing more than one centre-back and Sheth reveals that the club are not prepared to give up in their pursuit of Lille’s Yoro.
The French outfit have already accepted United’s £42 million bid for the teenager, but he is holding out for a dream move to the European champions.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side are yet to match the Red Devils’ proposal for the ‘very ambitious‘ wonderkid whose contract with Lille expires at the end of next season.
United continue to monitor him closely. Raphael Varane recently left on a free transfer and Victor Lindelof will most likely depart if multiple centre-backs are signed.
De Ligt has been one of the best distributors in European football. He had a passing accuracy of almost 94 percent last season. He should be an ideal successor for Varane.
It was suggested that the club could pursue a left-footed centre-back alongside De Ligt, but Everton are presently playing hardball in negotiations for Jarrad Branthwaite.
United’s latest offer of £50m has been turned down by the Toffees who value him at £70m.
With such demands, the Red Devils are better off signing Yoro. At just 18, the Frenchman has all the attributes to suit the Premier League.
Yoro completed 92 percent of his passes last term compared to Branthwaite’s 80 percent. He won a similar percentage of duels (63 to 65 percent).
Branthwaite is better with his tackling and ability to clear his lines, but Yoro is much more composed and has impressed with his supreme positioning.
De Ligt and Yoro would be superb additions in the heart of United’s defence for next season.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com
