Man United sign teenage defender for $76M

By Hoang An July 18, 2024 | 09:27 pm PT

Leny Yoro makes his introduction for Man Utd at Old Trafford on July 18, 2024. Photo by Man Utd

Manchester United have announced the signing of 18-year-old French center-back Leny Yoro from Lille on a five-year contract with a total transfer fee of US$76 million, making him the fourth most expensive teenage player in history.

"Signing for a club with the stature and ambition of Manchester United so early in my career is an incredible honour," Yoro told the Manchester United website.

"I know about the history of young players at Manchester United and feel it can be the perfect place to reach my potential and achieve my ambitions, together with my new team-mates. I cannot wait to get started."

Yoro has played 60 matches for French club Lille in all competitions, scoring three goals. The 1.9 m tall midfielder, along with Man Utd's Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, are among the top contenders to win the 2024 Golden Boy award for excellent young player.

"Leny is one of the most exciting young defenders in world football; he possesses every attribute needed to develop into a top-class center-back," said Dan Ashworth, Manchester United's sporting director, as cited by AFP.

Olivier Letang, the Lille president, said on the club's website that he was proud of Yoro.

"We're always sad when a boy leaves the club. But we're also happy and proud when these boys, who arrived young, become men and top-level footballers."

According to The Athletic, Lille are guaranteed to receive $67 million, and the remaining $9 million will be paid depending on Yoro's achievements with the new club.

He will become the fourth most expensive teenage player in history, after Kylian Mbappe ($201 million), Joao Felix ($141 million) and Matthijs de Ligt ($95 million), also the most expensive transfer so far in the summer of 2024.

Yoro is a deep-lying center-back, as he often drops deep to support the defense, so his duel stats may not be high. Real Madrid's recruitment team leader, Juni Calafat, has considered Yoro a "tremendous talent" since last year and wanted to wait for him to finish his contract with Lille in the summer of 2025 and sign him for free.

Yoro also wanted to move to Madrid, but Man Utd stepped in and paid a large amount of transfer fee to Lille and the French club convinced the 18-year-old to move to England, as Madrid were not willing to pay such an amount of money.

Man Utd currently have four other center-backs on the team: Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans, after young player Willy Kambwala moved to Villarreal for $12.5 million. Ashworth still wants to sign Matthijs de Ligt or Jarrad Branthwaite, but that can only happen if they sell Maguire or Lindelof.

Yoro is the second deal of conglomerate INEOS at Man Utd, after the club signed Dutch forward Joshua Zirkzee for $46 million from Bologna. The team also sold forward Mason Greenwood to Marseille for $34 million.