According to reports from Spain, Liverpool have made their move to try and snap up one of the most coveted teenagers in European football.
The print version of AS has reported that the Reds have submitted a ‘proposal’ to sign Leny Yoro from Lille, who’s also believed to be the recipient of offers from Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.
Anfield chiefs have been notified that the 18-year-old’s preference is a move to Real Madrid, although Los Blancos’ hopes of winning this particular transfer race may be complicated by the Ligue 1 outfit’s €70m (£59m) asking price.
The Champions League holders seemingly want to pay no more than £34m for the teenage centre-back, which is some way short of what Les Dogues are demanding.
Real Madrid’s prospective issues with Lille’s asking price could leave the door open for Liverpool to finally get one over on the LaLiga champions when it comes to a mutual transfer target.
The Reds were previously keen on signing Aurelien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham, only to lose out to Los Blancos for both players, while Carlo Ancelotti’s side have also been the bane of several of our Champions League campaigns in recent years.
The report didn’t offer any clue as to the particulars of the offer which came from Anfield, so we can only wait to see how Lille respond and whether the proposal from Merseyside is enough to prompt the LOSC hierarchy to consider selling.
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Convincing the club is one thing; persuading the player is another if Yoro’s heart is set on a move to Real Madrid. However, if Liverpool are determined to land the 18-year-old, that factor shouldn’t hold them back in their pursuit of the player.
The French starlet was described as a throwback defender by The Athletic‘s Anantaajith Raghuraman, while teammate Remy Cabella has said that the youngster ‘has all the qualities and potential to do something huge’ (GOAL).
One thing he’d have at LFC which he mighn’t get at the Bernabeu is patience from the fan base to grow into the team, particularly at such a young age. That could be a trump card worth playing from Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes in their attempts to win what looks like being one of the most frenzied transfer races of the summer.
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