News outlet Le10Sport has claimed Liverpool are now in the race to sign Losc Lille defender Leny Yoro. The 18-year-old has been impressing greatly this season, attracting interest from top teams in the Premier League.
Manchester United and Manchester City have already been linked with Yoro. Now Liverpool plan on assessing a transfer and are ‘determined’ to be involved in any future fight for the player.
There are increased calls for Liverpool to sign a centre-back after Joel Matip’s long-term injury. Those calls would have appeared anyway, given the Cameroonian’s contract expires in the summer, but have been brought forward to January.
There’s going to be a lot of competition for Yoro as he fits the profile top teams want. He’s 18 but has already played 14 Ligue 1 fixtures this season and scored twice as a centre-back.
On top of that, his passing is exceptional. He’s completed over 91 per cent of his passes this season – an extraordinary number for a teenager. That puts him in the 92nd percentile across Europe’s top five leagues at centre-back.
The fact that Yoro is capable of playing in a team that boasts Ligue 1’s second-best defence is encouraging, too. Piece it all together and you get the blueprint for a truly exceptional young defender.
Liverpool will naturally want to work with such a player. That would be the case regardless of their need at centre-back but that need could be what pushes them to the front of the line here.
Yoro could easily see how he gets games at Anfield, especially with Virgil van Dijk also moving through his 30s. Compared to, say, Manchester City, Liverpool can offer him a clear pathway to first-team football.
Definitely one to watch going forward.
