Chelsea target scores AGAIN as transfer race hots up amid Real Madrid competition
Cameron Smith
- 12 Nov 2023 15:23 CST
- 3 min read
Chelsea target Leny Yoro scored his third goal of the 2023-24 season during Lille’s 1-1 draw against Toulouse on Sunday afternoon.
The 17-year-old defender headed in a Edon Zhegrova free-kick to bag an early birthday present one day before he turns 18.
The talented teenager has been one of the breakout stars of Ligue 1 this year and has arguably been Lille’s best player so far.
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Chelsea aren’t the only club keen on signing Yoro, with Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid also keeping tabs on the defender as they eye a potential move for one of the most talented youngsters in world football.
He has already made 15 appearances in all competitions this season, although he did suffer a thigh injury in the draw against Toulouse and was forced off after 49 minutes. The France U21 international had his upper left thigh strapped up during the game so the injury was likely a pre-existing one.
However, by netting his third goal of the season, Yoro has proven how dangerous he can be from attacking set pieces.
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By comparison, Axel Disasi and Thiago Silva (one each) are the only defenders to score for Chelsea in the Premier League this season, while Benoit Badiashile netted against Blackburn Rovers in the Carabao Cup.
As a result, Yoro has scored the same number of goals as every Chelsea defender combined so far this campaign at just 17 years old.
Badiashile and Disasi are both renowned threats from dead-balls, as seen by their time in France, and Yoro clearly possesses this sought-after trait too.
He also has an immense passing range and it’s no surprise that he was called up to the France U21 squad during the October international break.
What has been said?
Furthermore, he has been compared to both William Saliba and current Chelsea star Wesley Fofana.
French outlet Foot Mercato recently reported: “[Yoro] never ceases to impress, to such an extent that he is of the same calibre as [Chelsea's] Wesley Fofana or [Arsenal's] William Saliba according to Rémy Cabella, who plays alongside him at LOSC and who knows the two French internationals well from the time he played at [Saint-Etienne].”
