Real Madrid will face Lille this evening in the Champions League, with whom they were locked in negotiations during the summer. Unusually for Real Madrid though, they did not get their man, as Leny Yoro moved to Manchester United for a fee of €62m.
Los Blancos were in talks with Lille for some time, having agreed terms with Yoro and been told that he was prioritisng a move to the Santiago Bernabeu. The French defender had also informed Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain and United that he intended to sign for Real Madrid too.
#RealMadrid under the impression that they would be given time to complete a deal for Leny Yoro, but their reluctance to get closer Lille's demands ended up taking the French defender to #MUFC. (The Athletic) pic.twitter.com/77ySIRCv9g
— Football España (@footballespana_) October 2, 2024
Real Madrid ended up making two bids for Yoro, but neither reached €40m, and with negotiations stalling, Manchester United swooped in. Even after the Red Devils had their offer accepted by Lille, Yoro’s agent Jorge Mendes insisted that Los Blancos were his priority, although he did not want to wait a year and run down his contract, which expired in 2025. The report details that Mendes believed the deal could be done for €40m plus add-ons.
According to The Athletic, amid preparations for Kylian Mbappe’s unveiling, Real Madrid were informed that he would be moving to United. Yoro personally thanks Los Blancos for their interest, but it was explained to them that even with United’s interest, they were not getting close to Lille’s demands. United also promised him an important role in the side, whereas Yoro would have had to bide his time behind Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger and eventually David Alaba.
It was a major and unexpected blow to lose out on Leny Yoro, and while the attitude has been that they would rather not bring in a player at all than bring in the wrong one, it has left Real Madrid short. That is certainly the feeling from both the players and the staff that has seeped into the media, and already Los Blancos are moving with a view to an addition next summer.
