Editor’s Column: Leny Yoro £42m bid shows Reds chasing elite youngsters
Liverpool are in the market for a centre-back, with a £42m bid for Lille teenager Leny Yoro rejected, reports Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, translated by LFC Transfer Room.
The 18-year-old enjoyed a brilliant debut season in France last time out and is regarded as one of the best prospects of his age on the planet.
The reports suggest his club are holding out for £50m, which Real Madrid will not pay, leaving Liverpool as the potential frontrunners…
With Joel Matip departing on a free and Virgil van Dijk approaching his 33rd birthday, Liverpool need to strengthen the defence, even with the emergence of Jarrell Quansah.
The 21-year-old Englishman started ahead of Ibou Konate at the end of last season, with Jurgen Klopp preferring Quansah’s calmness in possession, but Arne Slot will likely give both a clean slate in the battle start next to van Dijk.
Given we’ve also got Joe Gomez who can do a job at centre-back, a player of Yoro’s potential joining the group would seriously boost our defensive options.
It would also raise the potential for Slot to play with three at the back, although it’s not something he did very often while managing in Holland.
The first transfer window for a new manager is always important, but unlike with previous bosses, Slot will only have a say in the incomings and outgoings rather than be the driving force.
Michael Edwards, Richard Hughes and the scouts are in charge of recruitment and this will let Slot get to work on the training ground instead. Remember, for the first time in Liverpool’s history, he’s been named ‘head coach,’ not ‘manager’.
Centre-midfield signings
It’ll be mighty interesting to see how well Stefan Bajcetic does in pre-season. He was emerging as one of the best young midfielders on the planet the season before last, but injuries and growing problems led him to miss basically the entirety of the last campaign.
He’s immensely talented and is now a real physical specimen to boot. Quansah and Connor Bradley cemented themselves as genuine first-team options last term and saved Liverpool millions in the process. It’s now up to Bajcetic to prove he can do the same. He can definitely compete with Wataru Endo for a starting spot.
Slot may also use Trent Alexander-Arnold in the double-pivot, which then creates issues positionally for the likes of Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Dom Szoboszlai and Harvey Elliott. Will they become playmakers? Be used in wide attacking roles?
While we’d all like another elite defensive midfielder, we already have lots of numbers in the middle – especially with Tyler Morton returning from loan.
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