The Real Madrid wonderkid transfer that Arsenal need to hijack

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 8 Feb 2024 10:17 GMT
• 3 min read

Arsenal have proven smart under Mikel Arteta at knowing just when to upgrade their team with young talent, but one wonderkid threatens to escape the Gunners this summer.

Clubs are queuing up to sign Lille 18-year-old Leny Yoro, with Real Madrid increasingly sweet on a player who is regarded as France’s next great centre-back.

Compared in a favourable light to Virgil van Dijk, Premier League sides Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United have all been linked with the prodigious young player.

Arsenal have been mentioned in dispatches, yet Arteta would be well advised to step up his chase for the player given Real Madrid’s concrete advances on the player.

Marca reports that Yoro will not extend his contract with Lille, which expires in 2025, thrusting the door open for a summer transfer. Having seen Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni sparkle since moving from France, he is attracted to the Bernabeu, and a deal for €60 million might be struck.

Yoro’s quality is evident. According to SciSports, he has the highest ceiling of any teenage centre-back.

Arsenal a great choice for Yoro

Arsenal would be well advised to step in – and they have a strong argument to persuade the youngster to complete a switch.

Using the Career Advice tool of data analytics experts SciSports, the Gunners look the best realistic destination for the player.

SciSports give Arsenal a Club Fit score of 81 for Yoro. The Gunners score a perfect five stars in terms of the development opportunities they could offer him as well as playing style and formation. Where Arteta’s side are weaker, however, is in the immediate playing time the teenager would get.

Arsenal, though, can sell themselves as a project for the future to Yoro. According to SciSports, the Frenchman has the ceiling that will allow him to become a key player at the Emirates Stadium.

Clubs with better scores than Arsenal are unlikely destinations.

Nice boast a Club Fit score of 86, and while Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s ownership of the club could lead to a pathway to Manchester United, Yoro would not want to take such a sideways step, while Barcelona, which have a score of 82, cannot afford his €60m asking price.

Real Madrid are further back on a commendable 76 along with Bayern Munich, with these clubs thought to be at the forefront of the race.

Arsenal, though, are better suited to Yoro and could profit in the long term from signing such a talented young player.