EPL: Man Utd sign French defender Leny Yoro from Lille in £52m deal

Manchester United have signed French defender Leny Yoro from Lille until 2029 in a deal worth 62m euros (£52.18m), with 8m euros (£6.73m) in add-ons.

The 18-year-old centre-back has signed a five-year contract at Old Trafford, with the option for an additional 12 months.

Yoro, who made his Lille debut at the age of 16, had been linked with Real Madrid and Paris St-Germain, while Liverpool were also interested in him.

He played 32 times in the league last season and scored two goals as he helped Lille finish fourth and and was named in the Ligue 1 team of the season.

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

“Since my first conversations with the club, they set out a clear plan for how I can develop in Manchester as part of this exciting project, and showed a lot of care for me and my family.

“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 made 44 appearances in all competitions for the Ligue 1 side, who reached the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League before being knocked out on penalties by Aston Villa.

Yoro’s arrival follows United’s recent signing of forward Joshua Zirkzee, 23, in a £36.5m deal from Italian side Bologna and comes during a summer in which the club have been trying to bring in a central defender.

“Leny is one of the most exciting young defenders in world football; he possesses every attribute needed to develop into a top-class centre-back,” said United sporting director Dan Ashworth.

United have lodged two bids with Everton for Jarrad Branthwaite but both have been rejected, with the Merseysiders understood to value him in excess of £75m.

In addition, United have been negotiating with Bayern Munich for their Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt.