Liverpool transfers: Fabrizio Romano reveals details of failed Leny Yoro chase

Lille have hit the jackpot with Leny Yoro joining Manchester United for a transfer fee that could reach €70 million with bonuses. 

The 18-year-old defender will sign a five-year deal at Old Trafford, becoming Lille’s third-biggest outgoing transfer in history after Nicolas Pepe and Victor Osimhen. 

Yoro only had one year left on his Lille contract with his club determined to bank a fee for him this summer rather than risk losing him for free in 12 months time. 

It had been expected that Yoro would wait for Real Madrid, broadly seen as the player’s first choice, but interest from the Bernabeu never materialised. 

Liverpool had expected that the French team of the season nominee would end up in the Spanish capital but were ready to swoop in and bid in case no deal could be done. 

However, even though Yoro didn’t end up in Madrid’s clutches, the Reds declined to come in with an offer. 

Instead, it was left to Man Utd to pay a huge fee for a teenager with just one full season of professional football behind him. 

Man Utd mammoth Lille offer

It was reported earlier in the summer that Liverpool were ready to break apart their wage structure to land Yoro with a €6m to €7m pay packet mooted - a sum which would have put Yoro beyond Andy Robertson, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai in the pecking order. 

United are reported to be giving the France under-21 international a wage that could reach £140,000 but it appears what swayed the deal was the Red Devils’ offer to Lille. 

The French Ligue 1 giants are facing a financial crisis due to the collapse of the league’s television deal and did everything in their power to push Yoro to accept a move to United. 

That’s according to noted transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who confirmed Liverpool’s interest but insisted that the Reds believed he was headed to Madrid. 

“Liverpool considered Leny Yoro as a target this summer and they also made contact with the agents of the player,” Romano told his YouTube channel.

“But the feeling from Liverpool has always been that Yoro was going to be a Real Madrid player. So, Liverpool never had the feeling that it was possible to convince Leny Yoro. 

“Manchester United presented an incredible proposal. The feeling is that another crucial part of the story and part of the winning strategy for Manchester United was to present such a big proposal to Lille. 

The president of Lille, Olivier Letang, in the last seven days spent a lot of time talking directly to Leny Yoro, he has a very good relationship with Leny Yoro who is obviously a talent coming up from Lille, and told him several times go to Manchester United, trying every single way to convince the player to go to Manchester United.”