Chelsea send scouts to watch Leny Yoro in action

Chelsea have been showing a keen interest in signing highly-rated LOSC Lille defender Leny Yoro, according to Graeme Bailey on HITC.

The journalist has revealed that Chelsea scouts were in attendance when Lille were in action against Montpellier on Sunday. Their representatives were keeping tabs on the 18-year-old French defender ahead of a potential swoop.

Yoro has been linked with other Premier League clubs like Liverpool and Manchester United and he will cost €70 million (£60m), so Chelsea face competition and the prospect of paying a large fee for the talented ace.

The Frenchman is highly rated around Europe and he has a big future ahead of him. He is destined to join a big club in the near future and Chelsea would do well to secure his signature.

Yoro has the potential to develop into a top-class defender and the Blues need a quality long-term replacement for veteran defender Thiago Silva. Yoro would be a superb feature investment for them.

It will be interesting to see if the Blues follow up on their interest with a concrete proposal to sign the player at the end of the season, as a move this month is highly unlikely.

Lille are currently pushing for Champions League qualification and they will not want to lose the key player midway through the season with so little time to replace him.

Chelsea need European football to sign Yoro

The Blues certainly have the financial resources to pay a substantial amount of money for the young defender at the end of this season and they should look to steal a march on their rivals and initiate a move to sign the player quickly.

They must look to finish the season strongly and secure European football for the next season. Signing elite young talents without European football could prove to be quite difficult. 

Meanwhile, a move to Chelsea would be an exciting opportunity for the young defender and Mauricio Pochettino could nurture him into a future star.