PSG gaining ground in race for Real Madrid, Man Utd & Liverpool transfer target

Paris Saint-Germain are gaining ground against Real Madrid in the race for the transfer of Lille centre-back Leny Yoro, according to French football expert Jonathan Johnson.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, Johnson explained that there is plenty of interest in Yoro this summer, and it could be that the Premier League will be his next destination.

However, nothing seems to be a done deal just yet, with Johnson noting that PSG have recently made up ground against Real Madrid in the race to sign Yoro, with the Spanish giants having previously looked like the favourites to land the French wonderkid.

Johnson has compared Yoro to former France international Raphael Varane as someone who could make the step up to playing for an elite club like Real Madrid or one of the Premier League’s big boys at a young age, so it seems inevitable that he will move this summer.

Lille are prepared to allow Yoro to leave this summer and won’t stand in his way, with no shortage of interest in him at the moment as Johnson acknowledged the links with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United.

Yoro transfer situation explained by French football expert

“Leny Yoro is attracting interest from a number of top, top clubs at this moment in time. Liverpool are the latest to be linked, but obviously there has been long-standing interest from the likes of Real Madrid and PSG, while Manchester United have been linked as well,” Johnson said.

“My latest understanding on Yoro is that he will be allowed to leave Lille this summer, they won’t be standing in his way, there won’t be a new contract for him. Obviously he’ll be looking for a significant pay rise from what he’s earning at the moment, but with the calibre of club he could have to choose from, it’s understandable that he’d be earning more than he is at Lille.

“I’d also say that wherever he goes, there is a high probability that he’ll walk into the starting XI. I do think that there’s a strong argument for staying in Ligue 1 a little longer, which obviously favours PSG, but he’s also very clearly a generational talent, just like Raphael Varane was at a similar age, and he managed to make the jump to Real Madrid almost seamlessly, so Yoro might be confident that he could do something similar with the Premier League or elsewhere.

“However, it is my understanding that PSG have gained a bit of ground in trying to sign him, which is a turnaround in the situation, and it will be interesting to see what they can do to convince him that the Parc des Princes is the place for him to pledge his future.”

He added: “It’s clear PSG have a massive opportunity with Yoro, although it’s worth noting that Luis Campos tends to favour the Portuguese market, and there are alternatives in that pool of talent. Still, Yoro hails from the Paris region and that is something that could be used to PSG’s advantage. My latest understanding is that PSG are not as far away now as they were a few weeks ago in terms of being able to beat Real Madrid in the race for his signature.

“So, I wouldn’t rule PSG out of this one, but equally there are also going to be Premier League clubs keeping an eye on what happens as well, especially amid the uncertainty with French teams and the saga with the TV rights deal dragging on.”