Man Utd could accept ‘big fee’ for ‘very good player’ in January in shock transfer
Man Utd could accept a “big fee” for Leny Yoro in January if they don’t see him as a player who will play on a regular basis, according to reports.
Yoro made his first start of the Premier League season on Saturday as Man Utd were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Tottenham, as they continued their poor start to the campaign.
The France international, who started in one of his national team’s matches over the international break, was deployed at right-back against Spurs before Michael Carrick subsituted him off on 59 minutes.
There has been talk that Yoro could be loaned out in the January transfer window if Carrick can’t find a regular place for the 20-year-old in his side.
However, former Man Utd scout Mick Brown – who is still well-connected at the club – insists that even a potential sale for big money could be on the cards.
Brown told Football Insider: “Leny Yoro is a very good player, and he’s very highly regarded at Manchester United.
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“The problem is, there isn’t really a place for him in the side at the moment unless he’s going to fill in at right-back, but that’s not his favourite position so I’m not sure it’ll be a long-term thing.
“They need him to improve, but the only way you can develop that is by playing every week, experiencing these situations and adapting, but that isn’t happening at the moment.
“So there’s been talk he could leave on loan in January, and I have no doubts there will be a number of clubs interested in taking him if that is the case.
“The other way would be just to sell him. If they don’t think he’s going to be part of their starting XI on a regular basis, and somebody comes in with a huge offer, then they could let him go.
“When we’re talking about clubs like Paris Saint-Germain, it’s not like money is going to be an issue, so United can demand what they want, really.
“I think that’s unlikely, it’s not something they’re planning to do and I would be surprised if it happened, but I do think every player has a price regardless of who they are.
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“There are high hopes for his development, but he’s not going to develop if he’s not playing often, so maybe they could let him go for a big fee rather than allowing him to stagnate.”
‘I would call it the Man United paradox’ – Wyness
And Man Utd could need the money in future windows once they commit to building their new stadium with potentially years of prudent spending set to follow.
Ex-Everton CEO Keith Wyness told Football Insider: “I would call it the Man United paradox because it’s the club that probably needs a stadium the most, and it’s probably the club that can least afford it given the present situation.
“You could say that the stadium debt would be good debt because it’s put into use for a cash-earning asset for the future rather than just spending it on players that you may not get a return on. So from that point of view, it’s okay.
“But if you were to go back and ask the Arsenal fans what it was like after 2006, when they had built the Emirates and they saw the very tight restrictions on adding to the squad, at the time it was pretty hard going and for United it would be very tough.
“They’ll probably just about get away with it, but if they were to miss the Champions League in, say, two or three years when they’re building the stadium, then the banks may start picking the team, because it’ll be that close on the financial side going forward.”
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