Man City stunned, as Man Utd ‘open talks’ with classy Ligue 1 star Pep Guardiola wants to sign
Man Utd, Man City linked Lille defender Leny Yoro
Manchester United are desperate to sign a new centre-back and they are reportedly ready to rival Manchester City for one of France’s brightest youngsters.
The Red Devils are going through a turbulent time at the moment, with manager Erik ten Hag under increasing pressure and several players linked with exits.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Ten Hag’s future, he still has one eye on the January transfer window and his priority is to bring in a new centre-back.
Man Utd have struggled with Lisandro Martinez’s absence due to injury, with Ten Hag forced to rely on players such as Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw in defence.
Raphael Varane is another player at Ten Hag’s disposal, but the manager doesn’t seem convinced by the 30-year-old who has started just four Premier League games this season.
As a result, everything points towards Man Utd signing a new centre-back in January, with a number of different options on their radar.
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Man Utd ‘open talks’ to sign Yoro
As previously reported by TEAMtalk, Nice star Jean-Clair Todibo is considered to be one of Man Utd’s top centre-back targets.
Tottenham and Chelsea are also interested in Todibo, however, so the Red Devils have have identified a few alternatives in case they miss out.
Now, according to French outlet Le10Sport, Man Utd have started ‘initial talks’ to sign Lille centre-back Leny Yoro in January.
The report claims that that Man City manager Pep Guardiola is also ‘keeping tabs’ on the 18-year-old, who has been touted by several pundits to become a superstar in the future.
Lille are desperate to keep hold of Yoro for as long as possible and are doing everything they can to extend his current contract, which is set to expire in 2025.
If the French club fail to tie him down to fresh terms, however, they could be forced into accepting a sizeable offer for him in January.
Yoro has featured 16 games across all competitions this term, weighing in with two goals. His ball-playing abilities and confidence appear to be what has attracted the interest from Man Utd and Man City.
As mentioned, Lille certainly won’t let their golden boy leave on the cheap, but if Yoro lives up to his sky-high potential, he will be worth every penny.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Man Utd or Man City do launch a concrete offer for the teenager in January, as the report suggests.
