‘A lot will depend on…’ – Transfer insider shares latest on Leny Yoro amid Liverpool interest | OneFootball

Leny Yoro is the latest player to be involved in a ‘will-he-won’t-he’ transfer battle involving Liverpool and Real Madrid.

After months of hoping the Reds would land Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund, only for him to join Los Blancos last summer and go on to defeat his former club in the Champions League final, the Lille defender is now at the epicentre of a tussle between these giants of European football.

Those aren’t the only suitors for him either, as Matteo Moretto explained in his update for Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing on Sunday.

The transfer insider wrote: “Real Madrid continue to evaluate their options at the back. A lot will depend on whether – financially – the club can meet Lille’s demands for young centre-back Leny Yoro, who Manchester United and Liverpool are also interested in.”

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As reported by Martyn Ziegler for The Times in recent days, Yoro is valued at £50m by Lille, and both Liverpool and United are ‘waiting in the wings’ in case Real Madrid’s pursuit of the 18-year-old hits the rocks.

The prestige and ongoing success of Los Blancos often helps them to win the transfer race for players that they covet, although the superior financial muscle of Premier League clubs – especially those at the top end – gives the Reds a fighting chance of snapping up the French prodigy.

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Ziegler pointed out that the teenager is seen as a ‘generational talent‘, and while his performance metrics from last season (as per FBref) don’t indicate as much, it must be remembered that he’s still developing as a footballer at a high level.

If Liverpool are to spend £50m+ on a new centre-back, it won’t be to park him on the bench and make him wait for an opportunity to break into the starting line-up, so it could have the likes of Jarell Quansah and Ibrahima Konate sweating on their chances of playing regularly under Arne Slot.

The three-way tussle for Yoro between the Reds, United and Real Madrid looks set to drag on for another little while yet. Should either of the latter two drop out of the race for any reason, Anfield chiefs must be ready to pounce.

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