Liverpool are beginning to firm up their plans for the summer transfer window.
With June almost set to turn to July, the Reds are still yet to make any concrete moves in or out of the club.
Obviously, there are some good reasons for that. Arne Slot has only just landed at Anfield and is very much still getting his bearings.
Brand new sporting director Richard Hughes is also trying to get the lay of the land having only touched down at the AXA Training Centre recently, too.
The ongoing international football is also putting a spanner in the works for Liverpool. Deals are proving tricky to come by for just about everyone. Nevertheless, things could now finally be heating up.
Liverpool back in direct contact over Leny Yoro
Hopefully Liverpool are to add to their first-team squad over the coming weeks. And when they do, it seems likely that a new central defender will be the man arriving.
The Reds haven’t made a defensive signing for three years now. Although Jarell Quansah’s brilliant emergence has mitigated that, they could still do with making a new addition this summer.
Plenty of names have been linked over the weeks and months leading up to the transfer market, but there seems to be two players who Liverpool now like above all.
One is Riccardo Calafiori, who Liverpool are reportedly trying to beat Juventus to the signing of. The other is Leny Yoro, who is set to be sold by Lille.
READ MORE: Liverpool may just have been given a big advantage in Riccardo Calafiori race
And although Yoro is reportedly holding out for a £50m move to Real Madrid, journalist Fabrizio Romano says Liverpool have again reiterated their interest to his club this week.
“Leny Yoro keeps insisting on Real Madrid. His priority is Real Madrid,” Romano told his YouTube channel on Tuesday evening. “I can guarantee that all the other clubs, also Manchester United in the last 24, 48 hours called Lille again to tell them that their interest remains.
“Not just Liverpool and PSG, also Man United made direct contacts and made all parties of the Leny Yoro deal aware of their interest. In case the deal with Real Madrid collapses we are here, we’d like to enter the story for Leny Yoro.
“Yoro wants the Real Madrid move since October, November, it’s not something new. But it depends on Real Madrid. He wants to go there, no doubt, but in case they don’t complete a deal, PSG Liverpool and also Man United called for Leny Yoro in the last 24 hours and confirmed their genuine interest. So let’s wait and see what happens.”
Liverpool should leave Leny Yoro saga
Liverpool would perhaps be better off calling things a day with Yoro now. The player is quite obviously set on a move to Madrid.
In our opinion, even if the European champions don’t want to pay Lille’s asking price, that should be enough for the Reds to walk away.
Liverpool reportedly see Yoro as a ‘generational’ talent. But if the 18-year-old is so set on joining another club, then we’re not sure we want to bother.
We’ve seen this all before after all. If Yoro really is so desperate to join Real, then he’ll no doubt push for a move down the line even if he does end up at Anfield this summer.
Besides, when have Real Madrid ever not gotten what they want in the transfer market? It just does not happen. They’ll either convince Lille to accept a fraction of what Yoro is worth or have him run down his contract and leave on a free next year.
Either way, this should no longer be Liverpool’s business. Time to walk away.