Real Madrid willing to play chicken with Lille for Leny Yoro as Liverpool and Manchester United wait | OneFootball

Lille defender Leny Yoro seems likely to leave this summer and make a move to one of Europe’s giants, and he is keen to join Real Madrid. Liverpool, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are poised to pounce should Los Blancos get their tactics wrong though.

Yoro, 18, is out of contract next summer, and has so far rejected the advances of the other three in order to prioritise Real Madrid. They are not looking to meet Lille’s €60m demands for him this summer, instead looking at a deal worth €30-40m. Relevo say that Real Madrid are willing to wait as long as it takes for Lille to drop their demands, and Les Dogues are also content to push the matter, and it will be a case of who blinks first.

On the other hand, Marca say that ‘the next step’ is for Lille to understand that Yoro is willing to leave on a free next summer if needs be, thus meaning they should accept Real Madrid’s offer. At the same time though, it’s pointed out that with Nacho Fernandez and Rafa Marin on their way out, Carlo Ancelotti will require a fourth central defender, and if Yoro’s arrival was initially planned for 2025, now they have a motive to ensure he comes in sooner.

It seems Real Madrid have again convinced one of their targets to reject all other options, which puts all of the cards in their hands. If Los Blancos perhaps move the dial a little, Lille will likely take what they can get for Yoro, given it would also be the fourth largest sale in their history for a player that is out of contract in just 12 months.