L’Equipe have claimed that the Reds have surged ahead of Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain in the race for Leny Yoro, although Real Madrid also have an interest in the Lille defender.
The 18-year-old appeared to say his goodbyes to his current club in recent days when he gave each staff member a jersey in a display of gratitude for the part they played in his emergence to the first team.
With centre-back cited as a priority position for Liverpool in this summer’s transfer window (90min), it’s no surprise that they’re in for the prodigious Yoro, who’s been described as ‘very ambitious‘ by his Lille manager Paulo Fonseca.
The 6 foot 1 teeenager excels in terms of his ball distribution, ranking among the top 7% of positional peers in Europe’s five main leagues this season for pass completion with a 92.1% success rate (FBref), although he doesn’t comapre favourably for key defensive metrics such as tackles, blocks and clearances.
Despite only turning 18 last November, he’s already made 60 senior appearances and been hailed for his ability to absorb his coaches’ advice quickly and duly put it into practice.
For all his height, though, Yoro is still deemed to lack the imposing physical presence of a Virgil van Dijk or Ibrahima Konate, but that may come with age as his career progresses.
A progressive, ball-playing centre-back like the French teenager could be a very good fit for Arne Slot’s masterplan at Liverpool, and these latest reports suggest that the Reds might be ideally placed to swoop for him. He could certainly be one to watch over the summer.
