Manchester United on Thursday night confirmed the arrival of centre-back Leny Yoro from French side Lille.
The teenager had been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid but United won the race to sign the Frenchman.
"Manchester United is pleased to confirm that Leny Yoro has joined the club, subject to registration. The French defender has signed a contract until June 2029, with the option to extend for a further year," a statement read on the club's official website.
"At the age of just 18, Yoro has already played 60 first-team games for Lille OSC. Last season, he was named in the Ligue 1 team of the season having helped his club finish fourth in the league."
On his move to United, Yoro said: "Signing for a club with the stature and ambition of Manchester United so early in my career is an incredible honour.
"To secure the signature of Yoro ahead of Real Madrid - the club renowned for hoovering up the globe’s best young talent - would signal a major coup for United." 🗣️@samhmnd profiles 18-year-old Lille defender Leny Yoro, who now looks set for a €62m move to #MUFC. 👇
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) July 17, 2024
"Since my first conversations with the club, they set out a clear plan for how I can develop in Manchester as part of this exciting project, and showed a lot of care for me and my family.
"I know about the history of young players at Manchester United and feel it can be the perfect place to reach my potential and achieve my ambitions, together with my new team-mates. I cannot wait to get started."
Of those to make at least 25 starts, Yoro returned the best pass success rate (92.2%) in Ligue 1 last season.
