Liverpool are reportedly in a battle with Manchester United over a deal to sign LOSC Lille starlet Leny Yoro in the upcoming transfer window, as per TEAMtalk.
Having ranked through Les Dogues’ youth system, the 18-year-old made his first-team debut last year. The youngster has enjoyed a promising breakthrough campaign this term, scoring two goals and keeping eight clean-sheets in 15 Ligue 1 appearances.
It seems Yoro’s recent impressive performances for Lille have attracted the attention of several English clubs. According to the report by TEAMtalk, Liverpool are planning to sign a new defender in January and have identified Yoro as a ‘big target’.
The report further claims that the Merseyside club have been ‘big admirers’ of the defender for some time and their scouts have been monitoring his development over the last few years.
However, TEAMtalk states that Man Utd have also been contemplating strengthening their backline in the winter window and would be ‘keen’ on purchasing Yoro from Lille. So, the Merseyside club are set to face tough competition from their arch-rival in getting any potential deal done for him next month.
Battle
But, the report states that Lille don’t want to let their star man leave and want at least £45m if they are forced to cash-in. So, Man Utd or Liverpool will have to spend big money to sign the youngster next year.
Yoro is quick, strong, good in the air, comfortable playing out from the back, excellent in defensive contributions and also reads the game well. The 18-year-old is a talented player and possesses high potential so he would be a shrewd signing for Liverpool or Man Utd with a view to the long-term future if either club manage to secure his signature.
It has been suggested that Man Utd can’t afford to spend big in January having splashed over £150m last summer. So, it is highly unlikely that the Red Devils would be able to sign the defender in January. So, it seems Liverpool is a more likely destination for Yoro over Man Utd if he were to leave Lille next month.
However, it is going to be interesting to see whether Liverpool can eventually manage to beat the Red Devils in this race should they go head-to-head with United over this deal next year.
