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Tom OlverPublished May 25, 2024, 9:27pm|Updated May 25, 2024, 9:29pm
Liverpool have joined Manchester United in the race to sign Lille starlet Leny Yoro in the summer transfer window.
Yoro made his first-team debut for Lille as a 16-year-old back in 2022 and has gone on to establish himself as one of the most promising young centre-backs in French football.
Lille secured Champions League qualification with a fourth-placed finish in Ligue 1 this term and Yoro was instrumental at the back for Paulo Fonseca’s side, making 32 appearances in the top flight.
The tall and imposing youngster also played a key role as Lille reached the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League, where they were stopped by Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.
However, speculation has been mounting that Yoro could be set for the exit door at the Stade Pierre Mauroy, with Paris Saint-Germain holding a long-standing interest in the France Under-23 international.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, PSG have been pushing hard to sign Yoro ‘for some time’ but have been unable to come close to an agreement with the player’s entourage.
The report claims Yoro’s performances are also attracting attention from Real Madrid and Manchester United, while Liverpool are said to have ‘forcefully’ entered the running for the sought-after 6 ft 3 in teen ‘in the last few hours’.
Yoro recently hired super-agent Jorge Mendes to represent him, only fuelling speculation of a possible big-money move away from Lille ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
Given Yoro is out of contract in 2025, Lille must decide whether to cash in on the defender this summer or risk losing their prized possession on a free transfer in 12 months time.
After securing Champions League football for next season, Lille manager Fonseca claimed Yoro had all the attributes to go on and become one of the finest centre-backs on the planet.
‘I believe Leny in the next year will be at one of the best clubs in Europe,’ Fonseca told reporters.
‘He started here at 16 with us. He is very ambitious but very disciplined.
‘He grew a lot but he is a kid with a big maturity, with big quality.
‘He’s very focused, very concentrated, he wants to learn every day.
‘I have no doubt in modern football he will be one of the best central defenders in the world.’
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