Liverpool Enter Battle for French ‘Wonderkid’ Amidst Interest From European Powerhouses

Liverpool have entered the race for Leny Yoro, an 18-year-old French centre-back, but will have to compete with other major European powerhouses.

Liverpool Join the Hunt for Leny Yoro

The Race for His Signature

According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Liverpool have forcefully entered the game for Yoro’s signature on May 25.

Paris Saint Germain, the giants of his home nation, have also been pushing to sign Yoro for some time but have not found an agreement – especially with the player himself.

The journalist revealed that European powerhouses Real Madrid and Manchester United are also in the race.

Who is Leny Yoro?

At just 18-years-old, Yoro has been described as a ‘wonderkid’. He stands at a towering 6 feet and 2 inches and has started 30 matches in Ligue 1 for 4th place Lille this season.

He profiles very similarly to Ibrahima Konate based on percentage of both defensive and aerial duels won.

Incredibly, the Frenchman made his Ligue 1 debut at just 16-years-old. Transfermarkt values him at an impressive €40 million.

How Will He Help Liverpool?

It’s unsurprising that Liverpool are in the market for another centre-back. To begin with, the Reds have had their defensive issues in the 2023/24 season, conceding 41 goals – 12 more than title rivals Arsenal.

However, the main factor is likely depth. Joel Matip has been a great servant to Jurgen Klopp over the past eight seasons, playing in 201 matches. He departed the club after his contract ran out this summer.

The effects of losing Matip have already been seen, with him being injured since December and Jarell Quansah playing 33 matches in his debut season for Liverpool.

Playing a season with only three centre-backs (counting Joe Gomez as a full-back) is not sustainable, as we saw the team burn out towards the end of this season; even Virgil van Dijk made a rare mistake in the back-end.

Furthermore, van Dijk is potentially leaving the club either this summer or next: the Dutchman is out of contract in 2025. The possible signing of Yoro will one for the future.