Man Utd secure brilliant £52m signing, with colossal Liverpool blunder even worse than first thought

Manchester United are on the verge of completing a sensational coup by snatching French ace Leny Yoro from under the noses of Real Madrid, while fresh reports have revealed the scale of Liverpool’s blunder in their own quest to sign Yoro is even worse than first thought.

Yoro may only be 18 years of age, though he’s quickly emerged as one of the most in-demand players in the summer window so far.

The Lille centre-back is widely viewed as a generational talent. He’d been designated a ‘can’t miss’ signing by Real Madrid super scout, Juni Calafat.

Yoro’s initial ambition was to complete a move to Real Madrid this summer. That was fine by Lille who are willing to cash in while they still can. Yoro’s deal with Lille expires in the summer of 2025 and it became clear the defender would not pen fresh terms.

However, Real Madrid were only willing to pay a small sum in the region of €20m/€25m to get a deal done. Their belief was Yoro’s insistence he only sign for Los Blancos would eventually force Lille’s hand.

The alternative if Lille rebuffed Real Madrid’s lowball bid was Yoro would sign with Real Madrid as a free agent one year from now.

However, Real Madrid’s overconfidence appears to have cost them dearly, with Yoro now on the cusp of signing with Man Utd.

Leny Yoro deal agreed; medical ongoing

The Red Devils refused to give up despite Yoro’s preference for Real Madrid and saw a sizeable €62m/£52m bid accepted last week. The bid comprises €52m as an up-front fee plus €10m in add-ons.

Lille and Man Utd quickly set about convincing Yoro to sign for Man Utd. Moving to Old Trafford would greatly benefit Lille given Man Utd’s bid is way beyond anything Real Madrid were ready to stump up.

United’s persistence slowly began to pay off, with Yoro warming to the idea of joining Man Utd.

Yoro eventually signalled he’ll accept the United move and travelled to the UK ahead of undergoing a medical on Wednesday.

According to a fresh update by David Ornstein (as of 3pm on Wednesday), Yoro is currently undergoing his medical procedure right now.

The centre-back has agreed to sign a five-year contract with a club option for a sixth season. United are racing to complete the deal to prevent any last-gasp hijack attempts from Real Madrid and/or Liverpool.

PROFILE: Who is Leny Yoro? The towering French stalwart Man Utd are set to solidify defence with

Liverpool blunder worse than first thought

Like Man Utd, Liverpool had also actively pursued Yoro to begin the summer window. However, the Reds quickly aborted their chase once it became clear Yoro heavily favoured signing with Real Madrid.

Prematurely ending their pursuit has since proven to be a colossal mistake by the club who are seeking a replacement for Joel Matip who left via free agency.

According to a fresh update from the Daily Mail’s Chris Wheeler, the scale of Liverpool’s misstep is even worse than first thought.

The Mail reporter confirmed Liverpool pulled out of the race for Yoro upon learning of his Real Madrid preference. However, Wheeler then stated that Yoro had actually been Liverpool’s No 1 transfer target this summer – irrespective of position.

As such, Liverpool will not only miss out on signing their No 1 target, but will now see him line up at bitter rivals Man Utd.

READ MORE: Most expensive Man Utd defender signings of all time: De Ligt, Branthwaite or Yoro next

Liverpool accelerate alternative signing

There is a silver lining for Arne Slot’s side, however, with TEAMtalk learning the Reds have quickly turned their attention to a more than viable alternative.

Liverpool are in talks to sign Crystal Palace and England ace, Marc Guehi. The 24-year-old was arguably England’s best player at Euro 2024 and is already proven in the Premier League.

We understand Liverpool are now crazy about signing Guehi and sources told us they are ‘super confident’ they’ll get a deal over the line.

Guehi is expected to cost Liverpool a fee in the £60m-£65m range. A portion of the proceeds would head to Guehi’s former club Chelsea by way of a sell-on clause.

Guehi is open to leaving Selhurst Park for Anfield, though he is keen to not disrespect Palace on his way out.

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