Leny Yoro, who has been one of the brightest sparks in Manchester United’s otherwise dismal season, regrets joining the club and wants a summer move to Real Madrid, according to a report in Spain.
The centre-back was a major transfer coup for INEOS, who enticed the 19-year-old to Old Trafford last summer amid intense interest from Real and other European giants.
United spent some €62m to prise the sought-after defender away from French side Lille, where he quickly rose to prominence to become one of Europe’s hottest properties.
An injury sustained in preseason gave the teenager a rocky start to life at United, but that hasn’t stopped him racking up 30 appearances in all competitions and showing real signs of improvement.
But Defensa Central claim that Yoro “regrets his decision” to sign for the Red Devils last summer and has even asked his agent Jorge Mendes to try and engineer a move to the Bernabeu at the end of the season.
The report doesn’t credit a source, and in fact plays down the chances of any such move actually happening.
Yoro apparently knows that Real are looking for a centre-back and is aware that he was their top target last summer.
However, the La Liga giants are said to be still reeling from Yoro’s snub and would rather pursue another player, with Arsenal’s William Saliba and United target Dean Huijsen of Bournemouth seen as more likely options.
On top of this, United are believed to be reluctant to sell him so soon after signing him at great expense, and would accordingly charge at least as much as they paid Lille last summer.
This is “a fee Real Madrid doesn’t like at all”, and sounds like the final nail in the coffin of what feels very much like a non-story.
Yoro has had his fair share of challenges since joining United, who are at a historically low ebb, but the teenager has bounced back from them magnificently.
The player is growing in strength and confidence, with manager Ruben Amorim clearly a big fan of his composure on the ball, but his roaring passion for the club doesn’t seem like that of a man desperate to get away.
Featured image Michael Steele via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
