Man Utd can give Leny Yoro his ideal jersey number and Liverpool could have offered the same

Manchester United is on the brink of signing Leny Yoro after agreeing a $67m (£52m/€62m) transfer deal with Lille, which could potentially rise to around $77m (£59m/€70m) with add-ons. And the erstwhile Liverpool target could land a dream jersey number at Old Trafford .

This follows Man United's successful acquisition of Dutch prodigy Joshua Zirkzee, making 18-year-old Yoro the second player to be signed under the minority INEOS ownership. The highly-regarded center-back has risen through the ranks at Lille and has represented France at various youth levels.

Yoro comes with high praise and endorsement from Premier League legend Thierry Henry among others. Liverpool may be a little alarmed by this newly-competent version of Manchester United, even if the fee for the defender looks steep — with the Reds potentially even kicking themselves for stepping away when it looked as though Real Madrid was in the driving seat.

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Initial reports suggested Yoro's firm preference was a move to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer. But the Frenchman has chosen to join United after significant persuasion from both sides, allowing Lille to profit from a player who only had a year left on his contract with the Ligue 1 club.

Yoro has made 60 senior appearances for Lille, scoring three goals. He will not turn 19 until November.

Once his contract with United is finalized, the towering 6ft 3in defender will need to choose his jersey number. There are several appealing options available.

Yoro donned the No. 15 at Lille. That number is still vacant at Old Trafford, assuming there are no internal changes before the start of the 2024/2025 season. It's also been available at Liverpool since Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain left last summer.

While the No. 15 holds sentimental value for him, Yoro might also be considering the No.4 jersey, which he has sported at youth level for both Lille and the French national team. However, with other potential signings like Matthijs de Ligt and Jarrad Branthwaite on United's radar, the young player may have to defer to more senior players.

Other currently unoccupied jersey numbers include No.3, No.9, No.13, No.19, No.26, No.27, No.30, No.31 and No.32. Liverpool, for its part, could have offered the No.6, newly vacated by Thiago Alcantara , but otherwise has nothing available below No.12.

Liverpool.com says: Ultimately, while this one stings, Liverpool clearly could have decided to match Manchester United's offer if it felt it represented good value. The Reds did not lose out, they stepped away.

As such, it certainly wouldn't have come down to anything as trivial as who could offer the best jersey numbers. If Liverpool had gone all in, it would have had far more compelling factors in its pitch — Champions League football, for example.

Still, whatever number he wears, it could be tough watching Yoro at Manchester United instead of Liverpool this season. Time will tell whether the recruitment department has got this big call right.