It’s no secret that Barcelona and Real Madrid love to look for the most promising youngsters in world football to sign, and they have gone head-to-head on several occasions over the years. Notably, both were after Endrick Felipe and Arda Guler over the last 18 months, with Los Blancos ultimately winning the race to sign both teenagers.
It could well be that both teams go into battle again in the coming months for another exciting prospect, that being Leny Yoro. The 17-year-old central defender has been compared to former Real Madrid star Raphael Varane, and has made an excellent start to life in professional football.
Despite being so young, Yoro is a regular starter for Ligue 1 side Lille. He has not looked out of place at the top level of French football, which bodes well for him going on to become a world class defender in the future.
According to Fichajes, Barcelona and Real Madrid are both interested in signing Yoro, who has also drawn interest from the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea. It is a testament to the quality he has shown in his young career so far that so many European heavyweights are on his tail.
Yoro broke into the Lille first team last season, and has established himself as a regular starter during the current campaign. He also played in each of the two matches that France’s U21 side played during the recent international break. It underlines how good he is when he has already jumped multiple age groups.
During his short career so far, Yoro has shown himself to be an excellent tackler. He is able to anticipate when to dive into challenges, and for the most part, he is successful in these duels. His in-game intelligence is also often on show, and is used when facing up with opponents in these 1v1 situations.
Whoever manages to pick up Yoro would have a star on their hands. Real Madrid could certainly do with him, as they will be eyeing up the signing of a younger centre-back, with David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger now into their 30s. Yoro would be a magnificent long-term partner for Eder Militao, providing that a move is made in the future.
For Barcelona, they are much more unlikely to get Yoro. They would not be able to compete financially with Real Madrid and the rest, plus they already have promising centre-backs in La Masia, including Mikayil Faye and Pau Cubarsi.
