Real Madrid and Liverpool are both in the market for an addition at centre-back this summer. Los Blancos have waved goodbye to Nacho who brought his 23-year association with the club to an end when joining Al-Qadsiah in a free transfer.
The Reds, meanwhile, have a similar conundrum after allowing Joel Matip to walk away for free. Matip’s contract expired on June 30 and Liverpool are seeking a direct replacement.
One player David Ornstein confirmed both clubs were actively pursuing is Lille sensation, Leny Yoro.
Despite being just 18 years of age, Yoro is already a guaranteed starter in Ligue 1 and has been deemed a generational talent by Real Madrid super scout, Juni Calafat.
Lille are resigned to selling Yoro this summer given the player only has one year remaining on his contract.
Yoro won’t pen fresh terms, making this window the ideal time for Lille to maximise their profits. Reports claim the French side hope to collect €60m from Yoro’s sale.
The widely held belief was Yoro would end up at the Bernabeu, either this summer in a permanent deal or in 12 months’ time via free agency.
However, Real Madrid don’t wish to pay Lille’s asking price of €60m. Instead, they’re reportedly only willing to go as high as €40m given the player will be available for nothing one year from now.
Real Madrid leading chase for England starter
According to a fresh update from the Sun, Real Madrid have left the door ajar for Liverpool to strike for Yoro after turning their attention to England starter, Marc Guehi.
Interest in Guehi is widespread from within the Premier League as well as mainland Europe. However, the Sun stress it’s now Real Madrid who front the queue for the Crystal Palace ace.
Palace are reportedly willing to cash in on Guehi if clubs table bids in the £50m-£60m range. Guehi has more than justified that price tag by arguably being England’s best player at Euro 2024.
Aside from his excellent defensive displays, Guehi was also the man who got the vital flick-on for Jude Bellingham’s extraordinary last-gasp equaliser against Slovakia.
More to Guehi interest than meets the eye?
Of course, Real Madrid’s reported interest in Guehi does raise a question or two.
Firstly, Guehi is valued in a similar price bracket as Yoro is and if Real Madrid aren’t willing to pay up for Yoro, it stands to reason the situation would be the same for Guehi.
As such, this may be a simple case of Real Madrid putting it out there that they have alternative targets in mind in an attempt to get Lille to lower their demands for Yoro.
Liverpool will certainly hope that isn’t the case, though Real Madrid have proven themselves one of the canniest operators in the transfer market for many a year.
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