Manchester United will only sign Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt if they fail to secure the services of Lille’s Leny Yoro, according to The Athletic reporter David Ornstein.
The trusted journalist wrote in the Transfer DealSheet column yesterday that the Red Devils are not looking to recruit both centre-backs:
“United have been pursuing moves for Matthijs De Ligt and Leny Yoro. Progress has been achieved on each front recently, though the current expectation is they would recruit one or the other as opposed to both.”
This development has not gone down well with fans on X, with most having assumed that the club were looking to bring in de Ligt and Yoro:
Need both 🤦♀️
— Sally Mitchell (@SallyMitch1) July 16, 2024
Well Maguire staying then i guess
— Naresh #WrESTleMANia (@DeadlyNaresh) July 16, 2024
One of these isn’t enough. They’re not even remotely similar players.
— Lou__Utd (@Louis__Utd) July 16, 2024
So from 3 CBs, we are down to 1. Typical…..🤣
— D Saha (@DSAHA21818891) July 16, 2024
Now I get why the de Ligt deal is stalling
— Tutu (@ManLikeTT) July 16, 2024
Don’t tell me we’re getting someone that prefers another club to someone that only wants Manchester United 💔
— IDÁN (@kkvng_Tom) July 16, 2024
Pretty much a disaster then. We need 2 new center backs. One of them + Martinez is fine until someone is injured. Then it’s back to absolute trash at the back. Stinks of “Maguire and Lindelof refusing to leave” again
— lewis storer (@LewisStorer) July 16, 2024
What is the situation with Leny Yoro?
United have had a bid accepted for the 18-year-old but any transfer is dependent on getting the approval of the player.
Up until now, Yoro has expressed a preference for joining Real Madrid but there are some suggestions that the centre-half could have a change of heart, with discussions over personal terms having been broached.
United’s deal for de Ligt has stalled
It does look like the increased optimism about signing Yoro may have led to talks slowing down with Bayern about de Ligt.
The Dutchman is keen on making the switch to Old Trafford but it appears the transfer has been put in “standby mode” for now.
