Manchester United are reportedly making headway in their bid to beat Real Madrid to Leny Yoro, thanks in part to an advantage handed to the English club by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS firm.
Amidst heavy interest in Yoro from a number of top outfits in Europe, it seems that the race to land the Lille star has boiled down to a two-way battle between United and Madrid.
Last week, United saw an offer worth around €50m (£42m) for Yoro accepted by Lille.
The major hindrance for United is that Yoro’s heart seems to be set on a switch to La Liga champions Real Madrid, who are only willing to part with around £17m to land him – a figure that falls significantly short of Lille’s valuation for their defensive gem.
It was previously suggested that such is Yoro’s desire to seal a switch to the Santiago Bernabeu that he’s even willing to stick around at Lille for an extra year and get his wish to join Los Blancos as a free agent in the summer of 2025.
Understandably, Lille are not entertaining such a scenario and are believed to be pushing the player to sign for United.
The Red Devils’ efforts to lure Yoro to Old Trafford were dealt a huge boost after it recently emerged that the player is in talks with the club over the wages he would command in England.
HITC journalist Graeme Bailey has confirmed that Erik ten Hag’s side are making in-roads in their pursuit of Yoro. A key factor in this advancement is that INEOS are providing the 20-time English champions with a “crucial edge” over Madrid, thanks to the extensive connections and contacts they have established in France over the years.
According to Bailey, “HITC can reveal that United’s minority owners Ineos – who have years of experience and contacts in French football through their ownership of Nice – made it known to the football department that they had been briefed on Yoro’s situation and they felt there was a possibility of persuading him to join them.”
“As such United pushed ahead and agreed terms with Lille last week in a deal worth £42million, but from the outset Yoro stood firm but talks have been ongoing with the player’s representatives and they have progressed to the point where he is now understood to be considering the option of moving to Old Trafford.”
Amidst all this, there is an expectation that Madrid will submit a new and improved bid to Lille for Yoro.
If this does indeed happen, it remains to be seen whether Les Dogues deem the Spanish giants’ fresh proposal satisfactory.
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