Lille’s Leny Yoro, actively pursued by Manchester United and Liverpool

Liverpool and Manchester United are actively pursuing a deal to sign Lille centre-back Leny Yoro, although they accept that Real Madrid could ultimately win the race.

Yoro has become one of the most coveted players in Europe after a fine season for the Ligue 1 club and is set to leave this summer or as a free agent in 12 months’ time.

French champions Paris Saint-Germain are also among those strongly interested in the 18-year-old, who is not expected to extend a contract at Lille that expires in June 2025.

Lille president Olivier Letang confirmed on Wednesday that Yoro – as well as Canadian forward Jonathan David, whose terms expire on the same date – will be allowed to leave.

Yoro was at Wembley Stadium to watch Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final and the belief held by most of his suitors is that the France youth international will move to the Bernabeu, even if a deal does not materialize immediately.

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Real Madrid strong suitors for Leny Yoro from Lille

But that hasn’t deterred teams including Liverpool and United from pushing to lure Yoro, especially given the rarity of such a fine talent being available for transfer. They, along with PSG, are known to have made more concrete progress so far and would all be prepared to offer competitive or favorable terms – yet there remains an anticipation that Madrid will step forward, perhaps later in the process, and prevail .

British teams see Yoro as a one-off market opportunity rather than a fundamental part of their recruitment plans requiring a fallback if he can’t be snapped up, although in United’s case they intend to strengthen in that position regardless.

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Leny Yoro is one of Europe’s best talents. No wonder Real Madrid is on the case

What’s the news about Madrid’s interest?

Analysis from Real Madrid correspondent Mario Cortegana

Madrid, through their chief scout Juni Calafat and his staff, have been tracking Yoro for a long time. Their scouting reports were filled with the tag “fichar” (to sign) as he is considered a “generational talent”. The tag means the scouting department advises the player should be signed, regardless of his price or any concerns about how he would fit into the squad immediately – although the final decision comes from higher up at the club.

Since then, with Madrid general manager Jose Angel Sanchez leading talks, there have been several meetings with entourage of the Frenchman, who has given very positive indications of his intentions to play for the Spanish club.

But further progress is subject to Madrid meeting Lilla’s financial demands. The French club began to demand over 100 million euros. Madrid, following the same logic that defines their interest in Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies, see the player’s value as much lower as Yoro’s contract expires in 2025. They have made this clear to Lille and Yoro’s entourage.

Should Madrid and Yoro reach an agreement, it would follow a similar pattern with the signings of Aurelien Tchouameni in 2022 and Jude Bellingham in 2023. Both players have ruled out higher offers from elsewhere and urged their club to negotiate with Madrid.

Why do big clubs want Yoro?

Analysis from tactics writer Anantaajith Raghuraman

Last season Yoro played a key role in Lille having the joint third best defensive record in Ligue 1 (34 goals conceded).

A more old-fashioned defender, he was often the deepest player in Lilla’s backline. Yoro recorded relatively low defensive engagements (just 1.21 interceptions and tackles each per 90), but often put out fires like this one in Lille’s 1-0 loss to Monaco in April.

Yoro was mostly safe with his forays forward, completing 92.3% of his passes and attempting 55.19 carries per 90 without advancing the ball much. Instead, he’s error-free (he’s sacked just 0.03 times and committed just 0.03 errors per 90), perhaps indicating a maturity beyond his years.

Yoro is likely to excel with a more expansive centre-back alongside him. As he is averse to ball progression and often stays deep, a risk-taking partner who is more willing to advance the ball through passes or carries and press upfield to engage opponents will likely complement Yoro well.

Interest in him also stems from the fact that he can either break into the XI straight away – having made 43 starts for Lille last season – or be shaped by the experienced heads around him before doing so.

(Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)