French side Lille forced Leny Yoro to Manchester United despite the defender’s hopes. The 18-year-old defender was set to enter his last season under contract at the Ligue 1 club. As a result of stalled contract extension negotiations, Lille slapped a massive $65 million price tag on their starlet. The Red Devils jumped at the chance to grab the highly-rated youngster.
Despite United meeting Lille’s asking price, Yoro reportedly preferred a summer switch to Real Madrid instead. The Spanish giants also shared a mutual interest in the defender as well. Nevertheless, the LaLiga side balked at the huge fee set by Lille. Real reportedly only wanted to pay the French team around $32 million for Yoro.
This particular price was due to the youngster’s Lille deal set to end in 2025. Players about to enter their final year under contract are typically available for a discounted rate. After all, clubs would rather get something for players set to depart, rather than watch them walk away for free. Lille, however, denied the Real request and wanted the full fee from United.
Real has a recent history of resisting paying full value for stars and instead grabbing their targets on a free deal. This was most recently done with the now former Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe. However, Los Blancos also previously signed David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger as free agents.
Along with these deals not involving transfer fees, Real also worked to get Aurelien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham at discounted rates because the players specifically wanted to join the Spanish side.
Nevertheless, according to Marca, Lille allegedly informed Yoro that they would essentially bench the defender for the entire 2024/25 season if he did not accept the United move. Despite Real’s confidence in a discounted deal for the young defender, Yoro is currently completing a medical with the Red Devils. The teen sensation will sign a five-year contract with the Premier League club.
If true, it would be unusual for a club to essentially force a player’s transfer in such a manner. However, players regularly ask for specific moves every single summer window. Real benefited from Tchouameni and Bellingham picking the Spanish side as their next preferred destination.
In the current window, star Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori looks set to join Arsenal from Bologna. The move has stalled in recent days due to the Gunners not wanting to meet the Serie A side’s price. Nevertheless, despite several other interested teams, no other club has swooped in for Calafiori just yet. This is supposedly because the star has his eyes solely set on the north London club.
Some players have even forced a move by threatening not to play for their current clubs. This happened just last year. Mbappe rejected a move to the Middle East and instead decided to switch PSG for Real as a free agent. While Lille’s decision may be a bit atypical, not many soccer fans will feel bad for Real in this particular situation.
PHOTOS: IMAGO
