According to The Athletic’s Liverpool FC correspondent James Pearce Liverpool want to be “front of the queue” for Leny Yoro if his Real Madrid move falls through.
Liverpool are yet to complete any transfer business this summer and with pre-season starting next week, the pressure is on for Arne Slot and new sporting director Richard Hughes to identify the right course of action.
Indeed, there was heavy investment made in the midfield personnel last summer and the club doesn’t generally like to steer off course in their plans for targeting specific profiles of players and only investing when those have been identified.
As a result, it would come as no surprise if Liverpool’s business this summer is scarce or non-existent and the arrival of Arne Slot is already a huge change for the current crop of players to get used to.
The former Feyenoord boss will finally meet some of his squad when those who are not representatives at international tournaments this summer return to the AXA training ground next week to begin preparations for the new campaign.
This initial few weeks with the squad will allow Slot to gain a decent understanding of what he already has to work with and what areas could potentially need strengthening ahead of next season.
Having said that, The Athletic’s James Pearce has today given an update on Liverpool’s stance on the potential to sign LOSC Lille star Leny Yoro:
“Liverpool target Leny Yoro informed Real Madrid that he wants to move to the Bernabeu. The 18-year-old French centre-back is happy with the personal terms on offer but a fee has yet to be agreed between the clubs as Lille hold out for around €60m,”
“Senior Anfield figures have long since expected the European champions to win the race for his signature. Liverpool regard Yoro as a unique market opportunity given his age, talent, potential and contract situation (he only has one year left). They want to be at the front of the queue if the switch to Real falls through.”
Will Leny Yoro sign for Liverpool?
The Anfield faithful will be under no illusion that competing with Los Blancos for a player has never worked in Liverpool’s favour in the past, so there will be little hope that Yoro could become a part of the squad on the red side of Merseyside this summer.
Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni are two of the most recent and high profile players to choose a move to Madrid over a move to Merseyside, however, there is still a chance that the Champions League winners could pull out of the race if they feel the right deal can’t be struck.
Signing a centre-back would be an ideal investment for the Reds, but it won’t be the end of the world if Yoro isn’t an option and no other players catch the eye of the recruiters over the weeks remaining in the transfer window.
Youngster Jarell Quansah has proved himself to be an exciting first team prospect whilst tallying up a number of important and influential performances last season in the Europa League, Premier League and Carabao Cup.
Ibrahima Konate has struggled for fitness for large chunks of the season but remains a reliable and solid option for Slot next season when he is fit, alongside Virgil van Dijk and comeback king Joe Gomez, who has also thrived since being reintroduced into a more regular role in the first team.
With that being said, there is no doubt that Yoro would be the perfect addition to the Liverpool squad this summer, however, there is definitely enough talent in the defensive personnel to put on a strong and consistent display next season.