Man Utd and Liverpool make move to STEAL wonderkid from Real Madrid

Suraj Radia

13 Jun 2024 19:30 BST
3 min read

Arne Slot, Erik ten Hag, Manchester United, Liverpool — © IMAGO/FootballTransfers

Manchester United and Liverpool are ‘actively pursuing’ a deal for Leny Yoro, although the Premier League duo are believed to be resigned to Real Madrid being favourites for the Lille wonderkid.

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Yoro has established himself as one of the standout young defenders in Europe, having been at the heart of a defence that conceded the third-least amount of goals in Ligue 1 last season.

Lille president Olivier Letang confirmed this week that Yoro would be allowed to leave the club this summer as he enters the final year of his contract, having shown no desire to sign an extension.

While Paris Saint-Germain are also said to be keen on Yoro, the 18-year-old is understood to prefer a move to Real, although the Champions League winners have yet to make their move despite a long-standing interest.

And The Athletic have confirmed that both Liverpool and United, along with PSG, have made concrete approaches to sign Yoro in the hopes of convincing the teenager to join while Real stall in their decision.

There remains an anticipation that Real will eventually make their move but the potential and calibre of Yoro has led to other interested sides chancing their luck despite a belief that the La Liga giants will ultimately get their man.

© IMAGO - Leny Yoro has been a standout defender in Europe this season.

Liverpool and United looking to swoop for ‘opportunistic’ deal

Real have scouted Yoro for a significant amount of time, having had reports that the Frenchman is a ‘generational talent’, however Lille’s initial asking price of €100m has hindered any chance of a deal so far.

STATS

Leny Yoro

D (C), DM (R)

Lille

Leny Yoro

D (C), DM (R)

Lille

32

Games
2

Goals
0

Assists

It is hoped that Yoro will follow a similar trend to Aurelien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham, who ultimately chose Real over other sides and convinced their clubs to re-negotiate with Los Blancos.

Both Liverpool and Man Utd do not see Yoro as a major part of their transfer plans and instead view the youngster as an opportunistic signing in the market if Real do opt against making a move.

Current ETV

Leny Yoro

D (C), DM (R)

Lille

Leny Yoro

D (C), DM (R)

Lille

ETV Range

€21.4M - €35.6M

United are in the market for a defender but it remains to be seen whether Yoro or their major target in Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite prove to be affordable, with the club looking to strengthen all across the squad despite financial constraints.