Yoro set for Man Utd medical before £52m move

Leny Yoro made his Lille debut at the age of 16

Manchester United are closing in on signing Lille central defender Leny Yoro.

Sources say United have agreed a 62m-euro (£52.06m) fee for Yoro, who was due to fly to Manchester on Wednesday for a medical.

The 18-year-old has attracted significant interest from a number of top European clubs, with Real Madrid repeatedly mentioned as one of the sides keen to sign the player.

Yoro, who made his Lille debut at the age of 16, was picked in Thierry Henry’s provisional France squad for the Olympic Games but was omitted from the final party due to Lille's participation in the Champions League qualification rounds.

He played 32 times in the league last season and scored two goals.

His arrival would bring some clarity to United’s central defensive group.

The club have lodged two bids with Everton for Jarrad Branthwaite but both have been rejected by the Merseyside club as they fall well short of their valuation, which sources have said is in excess of £75m.

United have also been negotiating with Bayern Munich for their Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt.

Sources say while the club remain interested in Branthwaite and De Ligt, they would not sign both and further signings are likely to depend on squad space and available funds.

Raphael Varane left the club at the end of the season and there are doubts over the future of Sweden’s Victor Lindelof, whose contract expires next year.

Harry Maguire was the subject of bids from rival Premier League clubs last summer but opted to remain at Old Trafford and eventually made 22 Premier League appearances.

Joshua Zirkzee, 23, became the club's first signing of the summer last week when he arrived in a £36.5m deal from Italian side Bologna.

United have agreed a £27m fee with French club Marseille for striker Mason Greenwood, while defender Willy Kambwala left United to join La Liga outfit Villarreal last week for a fee of around £9m.