Leny Yoro, a transfer target for Liverpool has been scheduled to represent France Under-23s at this summer’s Olympics Games in Paris.
Yoro’s hopes of completing a big-money transfer this summer have been bolstered by his club, Lille.
Liverpool are interested in signing the 18-year-old, who is out of contract next summer, but are currently of the belief that the centre-back would favour a move to Real Madrid.
Regardless, the Reds are continuing to monitor his situation and will be ready to intensify their interest should the player’s prospective move to the Bernabeu falter.
It has been a quiet start to the transfer window at Anfield, with Calvin Ramsay’s loan switch to Wigan Athletic the only deal completed so far.
With the European Championships which started on Friday, and the Copa America set to follow next week, players competing in both tournaments will likely have to wait before negotiating any possible switches.
While Yoro wasn’t called up to France’s squad for the Euros, he was named in Thierry Henry’s Under-23s quota for this summer’s Olympics in Paris.
The football tournament will be held from July 24 to August 10. But wth France Under-23s facing Paraguay in the first of three warm-up games on July 4, their players could end up missing the entirety of pre-season while competing in the tournament.
Yoro’s participation in the Olympics would have consequently been a blow to any side wishing to sign him this summer.
Not only would they be racing against the clock to get a deal completed before he reported for international duty, they’d then likely not be able to welcome him into their ranks until the eve of the new season, with such an absence complicating any bedding in period in new surroundings.
However, Lille have managed to sidestep such inconveniences for potential buyers by withdrawing Yoro from Henry’s squad.
The French Football Federation confirmed earlier this week that the defender was one of six players who had been blocked from reporting for international duty, with clubs not required to release their players for Olympic duty.
Such club vs country controversy is nothing new, with the Reds facing the same dilemma with Egypt regarding Mohamed Salah on more than one occasion.
Liverpool will still have to remain patient if they are to stand any chance of signing the defender, of course, dependent on the success of Real Madrid’s own pursuit.
But while Olympic duty would not have come at the cost of any summer transfer, his withdrawal from the France squad has at least made Yoro a more accessible and attractive signing.
