Ratcliffe told he must spend fourth-biggest Man Utd fee to sign impressive Man City target in ‘astronomical’ deal
New Manchester United chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been told he must greenlight an ‘astronomical’ payment if the Red Devils are to beat Premier League rivals Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea to a Ligue 1 star, according to a report.
On Christmas Eve, Ratcliffe finally completed his long-awaited deal to buy a 25 per cent stake in Man Utd from the Glazers. Ratcliffe, a self-confessed Man Utd supporter, is determined to help the Manchester giants get back to the summit of English and European football, while also making them more appealing on the global market.
In order to help Man Utd catch the likes of City, Liverpool and Arsenal, Ratcliffe must ensure that future spending is more efficient than what has happened in the past. Indeed, the likes of Anthony Martial, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Donny van de Beek have cost the club big money but not enjoyed success on the pitch.
The British billionaire is hopeful of organising a deal between Man Utd and his other club, Nice, for centre-half Jean-Clair Todibo. The 24-year-old has proven himself to be one of the best defenders in France and would be a great replacement for the declining Raphael Varane. Although, Ratcliffe and Man Utd will have to most fast as Tottenham Hotspur are also chasing his services.
Todibo is not the only Ligue 1 defender Man Utd are interested in. On December 4, sources confirmed to TEAMtalk that Man Utd have joined the hunt for Lille centre-back Leny Yoro.
He is an 18-year-old France U21 international who is enjoying a breakout campaign at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy. He has already made 21 appearances across all competitions this term and is picking up vital European experience in the Europa Conference League.
Yoro’s solid and mature performances at the back have resulted in interest from Prem giants Man Utd, City, Liverpool and Chelsea, as well as several of Europe’s biggest clubs.
French source Le10 Sport have now provided an update on the situation. They state that Lille president Olivier Letang is determined to keep hold of the starlet for several more years, despite the transfer battle that is ensuing around him.
Man Utd must pay huge fee to sign Leny Yoro
As such, Letang has told the likes of Man Utd, Liverpool and City that it will take an ‘astronomical’ sum to capture Yoro in 2024. Any bids worth less than €90million (£78m) will not even be considered by Lille.
A transfer at this price would make the teenager Man Utd’s fourth most expensive player of all time, behind Paul Pogba (£89m), Antony (£86m) and Harry Maguire (£80m).
It is understandable that Lille want so much money for Yoro. Their youth coaches will have worked tirelessly to develop him, and they now want to benefit from having him in the first team, at least for a couple of seasons.
But it is clear that if either Man Utd or City are to snare him, they will have to put in some serious work to reduce that asking price. For example, Todibo is available for between £40-50m, which represents far better value for money.
