Bid ‘accepted’ as Chelsea brush Man Utd aside in Ligue 1 chase, but new Euro giant lurks

There has been a double update on the future of Leny Yoro, with Chelsea overtaking Manchester United in the race for the Lille star, while a European heavyweight has reportedly had a bid accepted.

Yoro has enjoyed an excellent breakout campaign at Lille, having made 44 appearances across all competitions this term. The centre-back has shown he is able to compete with top strikers and that he has the potential to emerge into an elite defender.

The right-footed star, who stands at an imposing 6ft 3in tall, has emerged as a target for several of Europe’s leading clubs, and rightly so.

Real Madrid have previously been named as frontrunners in the pursuit of the Frenchman, though TEAMtalk revealed on May 15 that Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City have all been given the chance to capture him, too.

Yoro would ideally like to join Madrid if given the choice, but Los Blancos are taking a while to negotiate a deal with Lille. According to reports in Spain, this has given Chelsea encouragement and they have now leapfrogged Man Utd to become Madrid’s main rivals for Yoro.

Agent Jorge Mendes, who represents Yoro, has warned Madrid that Chelsea are ready to pay big money to sign the 18-year-old.

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As Yoro is one of the best under-21 defenders in the world, he fits right into Chelsea’s strategy of landing the most exciting young talents.

Although, Chelsea, Madrid and Man Utd are all at risk of missing out on the player, if separate reports are to be believed. As per the Daily Mirror, French giants Paris Saint-Germain have moved into pole position for a statement deal.

Chelsea transfers: Blues battle PSG, Real Madrid for star

PSG have launched a €50million (£43m) offer for Yoro, which has been ‘accepted’ by Lille. Yoro was previously valued at a huge £80-100m, but that seems to have simply been Lille and Mendes just trying to get as much money for their client as possible.

PSG, like Chelsea, are focused on landing the next wave of superstars, rather than continuing to spend huge money on established players who are 25 years old and upwards. Unlike Chelsea, though, PSG are trying to snare the best young French players so they can create more of a club ethos.

Yoro has understandably emerged on their radar and there will now be a scramble to secure his services. Chelsea and Madrid must act very fast indeed to stop Yoro moving to PSG, while Man Utd appear to be lagging behind in this transfer race.

Instead, Sir Jim Ratcliffe could sign either Jarrad Branthwaite or Antonio Silva for Man Utd.

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