Manchester United are pleased to announce the signing of French defender Reny Yolo from Lille. The 18-year-old has signed a five-year contract with the club, with the option to extend for a further year.
The fee is believed to be 62 million euros (£52.2m) plus 8 million euros (£6.7m) for Yolo, who becomes the club’s second new signing this summer after Joshua Zirkzee, who joined last week.
The teenager has already made 60 appearances for Lille and was named in Ligue 1’s Team of the Season last season after helping the team to a fourth-placed finish.
Yolo said: “It is an incredible honour to have signed for a club with such a renowned and ambitious reputation as Manchester United so early in my career. Since my first conversations with the club, they have shown great consideration for me and my family, with clear plans for how I can develop in Manchester as part of this exciting project.”
“I know the history of Manchester United’s young players and I feel this is the perfect place to fulfil my potential and achieve my ambitions alongside my new team-mates. I can’t wait to get started.”
It is understood United have not ruled out making further defensive reinforcements for the right price, provided they balance their budget this summer.
United’s sporting director Dan Ashworth said: “Lenny is one of the most exciting young defenders in world football and has all the attributes required to develop into a top-class centre-back.”
“He has had a fantastic start to his career and I am delighted to be able to help him develop his huge potential at Manchester United. The club has a great track record of developing young players, whether they are home-grown or brought in from elsewhere, and giving them the guidance, time and patience they need to develop and thrive.”
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“With Erik ten Hag and his talented staff at the helm, we will ensure that Lenny has the perfect foundation to achieve the success that everyone at the club aspires to.”
With the likes of forward Anthony Martial and defender Raphael Varane due to leave Old Trafford at the end of the season, replacing them with developing young players such as Zirkzee and Yolo was thought to be a priority for United, and work on the latter’s signing had been underway behind the scenes since before the end of last season.
