6 months ago
156 Liverpool have a busy summer ahead of them as Arne Slot prepares to become Jurgen Klopp’s successor at Anfield.
Liverpool are also set for changes at boardroom level, with Richard Hughes taking over as sporting director at Anfield in summer.
Slot, Hughes and FSG’s Football Michael Edwards will look to build on the Klopp era, and there’s a good chance we’ll see numerous incomings and outgoings.
Defence is an area Liverpool are rumoured to be looking to strengthen, with Joel Matip set to leave Anfield at the end of the season.
Meanwhile, Virgil van Dijk’s future at Anfield is also uncertain, with both players now being linked with clubs in Europe and Saudi Arabia.
Now, a report has emerged claiming the Reds have set their sights on a defender who has been deemed one of the best young players in the world.
The player in question is Lille’s Leny Yoro and, according to CaughtOffside, the Reds are one of multiple elite clubs looking at the 18-year-old.
As well as Liverpool, the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are said to be in pursuit.
The report also claims Lille have set their initial price tag at €45-50million (£39-43million), though a bidding war could see a higher final fee.
The Premier League clubs are reportedly waiting to discover if Yoro is interested in joining PSG or Real Madrid first, before making a bid for his services.
Who is Liverpool target Leny Yoro?
Yoro began his football journey at the academies of Alfortville and Villeneuve-d’Ascq before linking up with Lille in 2017.
He rose through the club’s ranks and has gone on to become an important first-team player, with 59 competitive appearances to his name already.
Yoro is currently playing for France’s Under-21s and Thierry Henry, who manages Les Bleuets, sung the reported Liverpool target’s praises earlier this season.
“What he is doing is extraordinary,” Henry said in November, via Le10Sport. “Another young player who is having good matches.
“Warren Zaire-Emery attracts a little more attention by being at PSG, playing in the Champions League, he has just joined the A. But it’s true that Leny is doing a huge job at the moment.”
Meanwhile, Goal.com listed Yoro at number 10 in their NxGn 2024 list of the top 50 young footballers in the world back in March. He is also the highest-ranked defender.
They wrote, quoting Lille boss Paulo Fonseca: ‘“Leny Yoro is extraordinary. Never in my career have I come across such a mature young man.”
‘Those the words of Lille manager Paulo Fonseca, who has overseen the development of one of Europe’s – if not the world’s – top defensive prospects, and whose performances are now set to kickstart a bidding war this summer.
‘Yoro, 18, has been likened to Raphael Varane and William Saliba after emerging in Ligue 1, with his unimposing physique hiding a player whose dribbling ability is superb for a centre-half.
‘Yoro routinely starts Lille attacks from the back by carrying the ball out of defence, while he has also popped up with the odd goal when attacking set-pieces.’
