‘I can guarantee…’ – Romano drops fresh Leny Yoro update amid Liverpool’s ‘genuine interest’

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Liverpool have made direct contact with Lille regarding Leny Yoro.

The 18-year-old defender has been one of the Reds’ most prominent targets in the early weeks of the transfer window, although as James Pearce outlined in The Athletic in recent days, the teenager’s preference is to join Real Madrid.

Speaking on Playback, the Italian reporter corroborated that the player’s wish is a move to the Bernabeu, although the Reds have seemingly taken action incase Los Blancos fail to clinch a deal.

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Romano said: “Leny Yoro keeps insisting on Real Madrid. His priority is Real Madrid. I can guarantee that all the other clubs, also Manchester United, in the last 24-48 hours, called Lille again to tell them that the interest remains.

“So, not just Liverpool and PSG, also Manchester United in the last 24-48 hours, in direct contacts, made all parties of the Leny Yoro deal aware of their interest by saying: ‘In case the deal with Real Madrid collapses, we are here; we would like to enter the story for Leny Yoro’.

“Leny Yoro wants to go to Real Madrid. Leny Yoro is giving priority to Real Madrid. Leny Yoro wants Real Madrid since October-November. It’s not something new, but it depends on Real Madrid.

“If Real Madrid wants to close the deal, Yoro will be their player because he wants to go there, no doubt. In case they don’t complete the deal, PSG, Liverpool and also Man United, in the last 24-48 hours, called for Leny Yoro and confirmed their genuine interest.”

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It’s encouraging to see that the Liverpool hierarchy aren’t conceding defeat on Yoro simply because the defender’s first choice is a move to Real Madrid.

Lille reportedly want €60m (£50m) for the teenager (The Athletic), so if anything should happen which scuppers Los Blancos’ pursuit of the player, at least the Reds have made it clear that they’re then in the frame to pounce.

The ball is still very much in the Champions League winners’ court, and it’d likely need something to go awry on their side for them not to secure a deal for the French starlet.

If Liverpool miss out on Yoro, they shouldn’t need to harbour too many regrets as they could then go all-in for Riccardo Calafiori. As we’ve argued elsewhere on EOTK in recent days, the Bologna and Italy man could be the perfect candidate to tighten up our defence significantly in order to allow for a genuine Premier League title charge.

Nonetheless, it seems that Richard Hughes isn’t giving up on the prodigious Lille centre-back, even in the knowledge that we’re not currently in a prime position to land him. As we’ve seen in many previous transfer windows, such sagas can take a sudden and definitive twist…

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