Manchester United are preparing an overhaul in the weeks ahead, but while Michael Carrick’s sacking looks increasingly inevitable, the Red Devils need to put the brakes on the rumoured exit of Leny Yoro to AC Milan.

Yoro had a difficult afternoon in the 3-0 loss against Bournemouth – a defeat that consigned Carrick’s side to an eighth game in succession without a victory. It was his embarrassing slip that allowed the Cherries in to score their second of the game.

However, the 20-year-old defender is not someone who should be allowed to leave – particularly at the ridiculous price being discussed in the Italian media.

Leny Yoro to AC Milan? Amorim targets Man Utd centre-back

Calciomercato reports that Milan are tracking the defender, who is now in his third season at Man Utd since a €62 million move from Lille in 2024.

Although Yoro has struggled to establish himself in the Premier League, he is a player who impressed Ruben Amorim, who now wants to take him to Italy.

Milan have earmarked a defensive signing for January, though Yoro is viewed as a target for next summer. It claims that their move for Yoro could cost €40-50m.

Selling Yoro would be a huge mistake

United have made a habit in recent years of starting projects only to abandon them halfway through, leaving the club in a more confused state than when they started. After several cycles, you find the mess the team is currently in.

If Yoro were to leave, it would be a decision that encapsulates all that has gone wrong at Old Trafford in the last decade.

He was signed at 18 to be the future of the defence. He remains a young player with extraordinary potential, and United’s challenge is to tap this. Carrick, in leaving him exposed at right-back, has not helped the process, with the mistake Yoro made against Bournemouth typical of someone playing in an alien role.

According to data analytics firm SciSports, only Kobbie Mainoo has a higher ceiling than Yoro in United’s squad.

If he reaches his full potential, he has the capacity to become one of the top 10 central defenders in world football.

Allowing him to leave for Milan partway through his development would be a grave mistake, but while this would be fitting of the way Man Utd are currently run, even the price discussed in the Italian media is scarcely believable.

The €40-50m price tag being suggested for Yoro is not only below the price United paid for him, but also dramatically under his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €64.2m.

Little about this rumour adds up, yet as Man Utd continue to spiral on and off the field, it feels difficult to entirely rule it out.