Liverpool already has its own Leny Yoro that can explain $68m transfer call

Manchester United has sealed a deal for the exciting young French center-back Leny Yoro . Despite the interest from both Real Madrid and Liverpool, it was the Old Trafford side who got a surprise transfer over the line.

The suggestion is that Lille was unwilling to lose Yoro for free when his contract expires next summer. With Manchester United the only side to table a bid, his options were limited.

Liverpool felt that Real Madrid would win the race while both the Reds and the Spanish giant were unwilling to go anywhere near the $68m (£52m/€62m) that Manchester United has agreed to pay as an initial fee. Including add-ons, it is an even more costly deal.

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There can be no getting away from the fact that Yoro represents a major coup for Erik ten Hag, however. Manchester United has brought in what many insiders believe to be a "generational talent". Liverpool , Real Madrid and PSG were big admirers for a reason.

Ultimately, though, Manchester United, while being willing to pay over the odds and commit far more than any other suitor for Yoro was prepared to offer, was the club with the greatest need for a center-back. Liverpool has only ever spent more than $68m on a defender before: Virgil van Dijk .

Arne Slot also has four center-backs to select from at Anfield already. While there are issues with each, to some degree, Jarell Quansah's emergence last season means that Liverpool already has its own version of Yoro.

Playing well above his years but still with his best seasons ahead of him, Quansah has every bit as high a ceiling as Yoro. He is also Premier League-proven and came through the Reds' academy, costing them nothing, so spending a huge chunk of money on a player like that was less appealing to Richard Hughes and co compared to their Old Trafford counterparts.

Real Madrid and Liverpool would have viewed Yoro as a long-term project; as someone who could be integrated over the coming seasons. But at Old Trafford, because of a dearth of other quality players, the 18-year-old will need to hit the ground running. That challenge, as well as the finances, will have held an attraction.

That is perhaps reflected in the salary that Yoro has been given, too. Manchester United, according to Sky Germany , will be paying the teenager around $188k (£145k/€172k) per week once bonuses are factored in. At Liverpool, those sorts of figures are reserved for key players and few earn more.

Right now, Manchester United is the only club that was willing to offer the big money — in terms of a fee and a salary — and commit to making Yoro a regular starter straight away. That explains why it has won the race for the player; as talented as Yoro is, it will take more than that for INEOS to bridge the gap between the Old Trafford side and the very elite.