£52M Man Utd Star Backed For Shock Loan Move Away From Old Trafford This Summer

BACK Former Man Utd midfielder Nicky Butt has claimed that Leny Yoro “might go on loan” before the start of next season. The centre-back was signed from Lille for £52m at the start of last campaign, but speaking about the players who could leave Old Trafford this summer, Butt named Yoro among five potential outgoings: “It was highlighted when United played Leeds, the team that day was so young and so average.” “They’re going to get rid of a few – Joshua Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte, Tyrell Malacia, Noussair Mazraoui. Leny Yoro might go on loan.” Could Yoro be loaned out? It seems unlikely that the Frenchman would be allowed to leave. While manager Michael Carrick does have five centre-backs at his disposal, two of them are injury-prone. Matthijs de Ligt has spent the majority of the 2025/26 season on the treatment table with a back problem, while Lisandro Martinez’s availability has been patchy over the last few years. In that context, sanctioning a loan move for Yoro would not make sense, unless another centre-half is brought in to replace him. Are Man Utd targeting a centre-back? Director of Football Jason Wilcox and the recruitment team have reportedly done ‘background checks’ on a couple of players – Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven and Nottingham Forest’s Murillo. However, there is a feeling that the Red Devils already have sufficient cover in the middle of defence, with United’s transfer budget set to be devoted to strengthening different positions. Signing a new left-back is deemed more urgent than purchasing another centre-half. As Butt mentions, Malacia will leave. The Dutchman’s contract expires at the end of June, so more competition for Luke Shaw is required. The midfield department is also an area of the pitch that Wilcox has prioritised, with Casemiro set to be released after four years at the club. Want more news on Man Utd? Add Man U News as a preferred source on Google David Tully David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for the Football News Network.