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Manchester United could be set to face disappointment in their centre back chase, as Leny Yoro has expressed his clear desire to join Real Madrid.

The youngster has had an explosive breakthrough year for Lille playing 25 games in Ligue 1 and scoring 2 goals.

His strong performances have already seen him called up to the French under-21 side and it seems only a matter of time before he makes the leap to the senior squad.

Lille have had a wonderful season as they sit fourth in the league and only three points behind Monaco for a Champions League spot.

The Northern French side have also only conceded an impressive 23 goals in 26 matches with Yoro at the heart of the defence.

Consequently, the Red Devils have been linked to the 18 year old alongside a host of other clubs, including Chelsea and of course, the Bernabeu outfit.

It had been relayed by The Peoples Person that the Liga leaders had already dropped out of the race due to the player’s excessive price tag and limitations in their spending after the likely Mbappe deal.

However, Spanish newspaper MARCA have other ideas.

They report that, “Leny Yoro is very clear about it and has conveyed it to the Lille leaders, the same ones who are asking for 100 million euros for the transfer of the French footballer, ‘I want to play for Real Madrid’.”

“The young 18-year-old player is emphatic in the face of pressure from the leaders of the French team to renew a contract that ends on June 30, 2025. “He remains firm” and will definitely not sign a new deal, as he wants to improve Real Madrid’s negotiating position.

Interestingly, the outlet also highlights the potential role of famous agent, Jorge Mendes, in the potential transfer. “Mendes is no longer a problem in Yoro’s signing for Real Madrid,” they continue.

“They don’t have the relationship they used to, but the Portuguese agent wants to please Yoro. The Frenchman is clear about it and has already told the Lille leaders: he wants to wear white”.

Elaborating on the Mendes situation further they state, “Mendes’ presence in the operation was considered something to be overcome by Real Madrid due to the distance that exists with the Portuguese representative, but there will not be any problem”.

Finally the paper states that “Yoro is convinced that the moment will come, that Lille will end up giving in as happened with Eduardo Camavinga and Rennes”.

As the player’s deal runs out next year, MARCA warn that Madrid are so confident that they will wait if they can’t find a suitable fee for themselves and take the player on a free next season.

From United’s perspective they already have numerous centre back options on their list but they have been most recently linked with Jarrad Branthwaite and Gleison Bremer.

If the player is so steadfast in his desire to play for another club then United would perhaps be better off pursuing a player with more passion to play for them.

However, it must also be stated that MARCA is a mouthpiece of Real Madrid and would probably say that Barcelona legend, Gerard Pique, always harboured a secret desire to pull on the famous white shirt.

There have already been many twists and turns in this transfer story and until the summer window closes, no doubt there will be a few more.