EXCLUSIVE from Graeme Bailey
Leny Yoro is increasingly unlikely to sign a new contract at Lille with Premier League giants Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all watching the talented young Frenchman during his breakthrough season in Ligue 1.
HITC understands that, with the 18-year-old’s current contract expiring in the summer of 2025 and a number of clubs in Europe’s major leagues watching him closely, Lille have opened talks over the prospect of an extension.
However, it is believed that – while Leny Yoro has not yet made any concrete decision over his future along with agent Jorge Mendes – fresh terms are increasingly unlikely to be agreed. As such, Lille may be forced to sell their prized asset this summer due to the risk of losing him on a free 12 months later.
Premier League clubs pursue Leny Yoro
HITC have been told that Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have been watching the teenager, who forced his way into the Les Dogues XI at the start of this season when he was just 17.
There is interest from Paris Saint-Germain, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund too, plus Chelsea. Real Madrid remain near the front of the queue too, though much of Los Blancos’ budget is likely to be eaten up by their pursuit of Kylian Mbappe and Alphonso Davies.
Mbappe, while technically a free-agent, is still likely to set Real back considerably due to what could be a very sizeable signing-on fee.
Yoro, according to reports in France, is valued at a staggering £80 million (Le10 Sport). Liverpool, Arsenal and Man United have all invested heavy sums in up-and-coming talent in the recent past but it remains to be seen if they would be willing to meet Lille’s demands for a teenager who has only played 40 first-team games.
There is also a chance that Lille will be tempted to accept a reduced fee, given Yoro’s rather precarious contract situation.
Liverpool’s next Virgil van Dijk?
“He is a very strong, fast and, above all, an intelligent player. Even so, I think he has a lot of room for improvement. He has incredible potential,” former Villarreal stopper Cesar Arzo tells Marca of a player who may yet follow in his La Liga footsteps.
“In addition to the aerial game, which he masters perfectly for how young he is, I would say that he is a footballer who adapts to any situation. Any phase and any moment. His performances throughout the season have been very good. Exceptional.
“The first time I saw him, he seemed like the portrait of Raphael Varane. The same attitude, the same maturity at the same age, the same size, the same…
“Kids like that are a blessing. Yoro is very similar to Varane.”
Yoro, due to his fearsome 6ft 4ins frame, his aerial prowess and his impressive technical qualities, has also been likened to Liverpool’s own Virgil van Dijk. He has also been labelled an ‘exemplary‘ talent by Arsenal legend and France Under-21 boss Thierry Henry.
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