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After completing the signing of Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna at the weekend, Manchester United’s next priority was improving their leaky defence.
The club were in contact with as many as three centre-backs — with Matthijs de Ligt of Bayern Munich, Lille’s Leny Yoro and Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite.
Considering how the club had fared defensively last season, it was quite evident that the 20-time English league champions needed more than one centre-back having already lost Raphael Varane and Willy Kambwala while Victor Lindelof also seems to be on his way out.
The chances of securing the Englishman appear slim and hence the club seem to be focussed on the other two. Most reports indicated that a deal for the Netherlands international is close to completion.
CB search
The former Erik ten Hag protege had even agreed on personal terms with the Red Devils with only minute financial details left to be ironed out between both clubs.
But now The Athletic have claimed that the Old Trafford side are more interested in a deal for the French gem and only if they fail with their daring attempt will they come back for the Dutch star. In other words, this means either of the two will arrive and not both.
“In parallel, United have been pursuing moves for Matthijs De Ligt and Leny Yoro. Progress has been achieved on each front recently, though the current expectation is they would recruit one or the other as opposed to both.
“Given a deal for De Ligt looks relatively straightforward if United choose to proceed, at present they seem to be prioritising Yoro and exploring whether the Frenchman can be convinced to join them rather than hold out for Real Madrid,” tier 1 reporter David Ornstein wrote.
Yoro over De Ligt
A deal for the generational French talent remains complicated due to the player’s wish to play for the Los Blancos who are his dream club.
The Spanish giants are not behaving like they are desperate to win the race, they have so far refused to pay as much as United and have even kept alternatives ready in case they fail.
Real would prefer Yoro as a free agent while United are prepared to pay over the odds to land the 18-year-old. The centre-back is said to be impressed with United’s relentless approach and their chances have improved.
A deal for De Ligt could be slipping away despite the player’s desperation to reunite with his former manager. He had even agreed to take a wage cut to force through the move while United are even open to signing Jonathan Tah instead.
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