For those watching closely, Leny Yoro being the centre of a bidding war between some of Europe's top clubs is no surprise. Perhaps the only real shock is that it has taken even this long for moves to be made.
As a 16-year-old, Yoro made his Ligue 1 debut for Lille. At the time, May 2022, only ten players had ever appeared at a younger age in France's top division. Among them are established talents Rayan Cherki, Mathys Tel, and Eduardo Camavinga. He's now in good company with Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery going on to play just months later at around six weeks younger.
When Yoro went down in the history books he took second spot in this list, coming onto the pitch at an earlier age than even Eden Hazard managed. The level of player that he is alongside going back a bit further shows just why there is so much hype.
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Karim Benzema, Anthony Martial (who was a serious talent, let's not forget), Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka, Alex Song, Kylian Mbappe, Kurt Zouma., and Kingsley Coman all played before reaching 17 and two months. Yoro will not turn 19 until November, and he already has 60 senior appearances for his boyhood club, 46 of them in the league.
He has European pedigree having played against Aston Villa in the Conference League earlier this year. He started all but four of Lille's Ligue matches in 2023/24. That was a significant rise on the 13 appearances the season before, but he could hardly have been held in much higher regard.
The players listed above all made big moves in their career, often at an early age. Yoro is destined to be no different. By the time the 2024 summer window shuts it is highly likely he will be one of the most expensive teens in world football.
Manchester United's accepted bid - thought to be around £65million - would immediately place him in the top five of this category. Matthijs de Ligt, who they are currently working on a deal for worth £40million, is one of those above him. Jude Bellingham, Joao Felix, and Mbappe are the only others who light a candle to Yoro's real price.
When it comes to estimated market value - a hypothetical point but worked on by data companies across the world - he continues to rank highly. Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Enrick, Zaire-Emery, and Joao Neves are the only teenage names Transfermarkt values higher than Yoro, with Kobbie Mainoo level.
Their price is £45million. Often lower than what clubs would actually demand for their players, Yoro's entry here demonstrates yet again just why he is held in such esteem. What may well prove to be a kick in the teeth for United is that although Yoro's trajectory is only going up, and should they sign him it is almost certain that he will prove to be not only value for money, but actually continue to increase in price, he was not valued as much last summer.
At this stage he was already catching the eye having come through Lille's academy and into their first team, but without the weight of senior experience he now has, Transfermarkt had him valued at just £8million instead. As soon as things got underway in France and he was playing, that shot up to £15million by October.
At Christmas he had made such an impact that the value had nearly tripled, and it was over £20million. Come March and the knockout stages of the Conference League it was up to £35million. Now it is resting at £45million but sure to jump up soon enough.
CIES Football Observatory, a trusted market value predictor, had him at £37million in April, which falls into line. It made him part of the highest-scoring teenage defenders in the world, alongside Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona), Jorell Hato (Ajax), and Rico Lewis (Manchester City).
Familiar players once again filled that team, including Endrick, Neves, Zaire-Emery (again), Yamal, and perhaps surprisingly, Brighton's Evan Ferguson up front. Alejandro Garnacho was the most valuable teenage left-winger, too. This all again goes to show the level that Yoro is already playing at, and where many believe he can get to.
It is also not to blame United for failing to pick him up for cheaper 12 months ago, but with the defensive collapses on the pitch and injury issues off it, even having someone as young and relatively inexperienced as Yoro would have been mightily beneficial. It goes to show just how much things can change over a short period as well.
He was ranked by CIES as the fifth most seasoned Under-20 player in the world last season, based on the quantity and quality level of the minutes player in the past year, taking into account the percentage as a starter and the calibre of league. The four above him (including Garnacho) have again already been mentioned.
Yoro was not as much a gem waiting to be unearthed when interest in him first started to become public 12 months, but he was a diamond already shining, just not yet prominently in full view. United will pay the price literally for the season he has played in France, but that's only if they can convince Yoro that Old Trafford is the best destination for him to develop further.
It is here that Sir Jim Ratcliffe's comments with regard to transfers really stands out. "I'd rather find the next Mbappe than spend a fortune trying to buy success," he said shortly after getting his feet under the table at Carrington.
"It's not that clever, is it, buying Mbappe, in a way? Anyone could figure that one out. Much more challenging is to find the next Mbappe or Jude Bellingham or the next Roy Keane."
Yoro, as a player compared to Raphael Varane for his teenage talents and success in France, plus the Lille-Lens divide, is not quite finding the next Mbappe for United, as, like Mbappe at Monaco, he has already been found by a number of clubs. But if this is what Ratcliffe means by not signing the finished article, then Yoro is a good example.
It doesn't mean it will cost any less to get him, but being on the train now rather than in a few years when he is already parading himself as a world star in the Champions League will undoubtedly prove effective. It doesn't make the actual signing part any easier, though.
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