Lille ‘threatened to not play Leny Yoro for a YEAR if he didn’t agree to Man United move’… after the French club secured £52m fee for the 18-year-old, who favoured Real Madrid transfer

According to reports in Spain, Lille threatened to not let Leny Yoro perform in the final year of his contract if he did not accept Manchester United’s transfer offer.

The Red Devils’ offer of £42m plus £10m in bonuses for the 18-year-old Frenchman was accepted last week, but there were concerns Yoro would prefer to join Real Madrid.

However, United have moved quickly to get the deal done, finalising personal terms on a five-year contract with the option of a 12-month extension. Yoro is expected to complete his move to the Premier League giants on Friday.

But according to Spanish outlet MarcaThe youngster faced a difficult decision as his intention to move to Madrid remained in place despite approaches from top European clubs such as United, PSG and Liverpool.

They claim Yoro’s decision was made after his club threatened to sideline him for the remainder of his contract year after they struck a lucrative deal for their youth player.

United are set to complete their second summer signing with the imminent arrival of the young Frenchman

Real Madrid were reportedly confident of adding Yoro to their squad but were unwilling to match United’s £52m bid

Furthermore, the defender is expected to receive a higher salary than he would have received had he moved to the Spanish capital.

Madrid were said to have hesitated over Lille’s valuation of the player and were only prepared to offer £25m (€30m) to acquire his services this season. As a result, they followed the tactic that has worked wonders in recruiting young stars in recent years and believed that by capitalising on the player’s desire to move to the Bernabeu, they would finally get their man.

A similar approach has borne fruit with the arrivals of Aurlien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham and even Kylian Mbappe, who was finally presented as a Real Madrid player this week.

Unfortunately for Los Blancos, United’s determination to sign the young star has seen them miss out on the talented player, with Carlo Ancelotti’s side keen to bolster their defence following the departures of Nacho and Rafa Marin.

Last season they had to field defensive midfielder Tchouameni in defence due to long-term injuries to Eder Militao and David Alaba.

Meanwhile, United are set to complete their second signing of the summer in Yoro after Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee moved to Old Trafford for £36.5million.

The club are interested in signing a second centre-back, following talks with Bayern Munich over Matthijs de Ligt (a player valued at £42m). Two offers worth up to £50m for Jarrad Branthwaite have been rejected by Everton.

United are interested in signing a second centre-back after talks were held with Bayern Munich over the £42m-rated Matthijs de Ligt

However, that could depend on raising additional funds by selling players and selling another centre-back after Raphael Varane left on a free transfer and Willy Kambwala left for Villarreal for £9.9m.

United have rejected a bid from Fulham for Scott McTominay, reportedly lower than the £30m offer they rejected from West Ham last year. Meanwhile, the Hammers are considering a £15m move for Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

United hope to sign a defensive midfielder and a right-back this summer and will consider offers for McTominay and Wan-Bissaka if they match their players in terms of quality and value.