Leny Yoro: How Manchester United beat Real Madrid to highly-rated talent

Leny Yoro is one of the top-rated defensive talents in the game, establishing himself as a starter and integral player for Lille in Ligue 1. 

However, despite his huge talent, he was seldom linked to multiple top clubs, as players of his promise typically are, as Real Madrid indicated early interest and were expected to land him.

Los Blancos’s interest and Yoro’s keenness for a Bernabeu move probably discouraged other top clubs from throwing their hats in the ring; however, not Manchester United, who not only entered the race from a disadvantageous position but won it. 

After completing the £36.5 million deal for Joshua Zirkzee, Manchester United set out to acquire a defensive target, underscoring INEOS’s commitment to improving the sporting arm of the club. 

They negotiated with Everton for Jarrad Brantwaithe and Bayern Munich for Matthijs de Ligt, but soon shifted their focus on Yoro. 

Despite the player's avidity for Real Madrid, Manchester United managed to get the deal done, signing Yoro as their second summer acquisition. 

During Kylian Mbappe's unveiling, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez reportedly bragged that they had landed every player they had concrete interest in. 

While the alleged statement is not totally true, as they lost out on Neymar to Barcelona and Paul Pogba to Manchester United, to name a few, Real Madrid are the most attractive club in the world, and more often than not, they land their targets. 

Their allure is also at a crescendo, as they are the reigning European champions and have just added the best player in the world to an already stacked team. So how did Manchester United beat them to the chase?

Well, according to renowned French football journalist Julien Laurens, it was all about the money. Yoro had one year left on his contract, and Real Madrid were said to be unwilling to go above £30 million in transfer fees. 

Paris Saint-Germain were also in the mix, and like Real Madrid, they failed to match Lille’s ask given the length of the player's contract. 

Manchester United, on the other hand, had no problem shelling a reported £52 million deal, plus an additional £6.73 million in add-ons. 

The Red Devils were able to reach an agreement with Lille and leveraged their status and club legend like Rio Ferdinand to convince the youngster to accept the proposal.