Liverpool may have to act quickly as Manchester United 'makes initial contact' for transfer

Manchester United has made "initial contact" with Lille about a move for Leny Yoro, the 18-year-old center-back that Liverpool admires. Real Madrid, though, remains the favorite to snap up the teenage wonderkid.

According to Sky Sports, Yoro is one of a number of young central defenders that Manchester United is taking a look at this summer. Everton and England man Jarrad Branthwaite is also of interest but the Goodison Park outfit is demanding a fee of $88m (£70m/€83m) for his services, which the Red Devils are determined not to pay.

Manchester United has already made an offer worth half of what Everton values Branthwaite at but now sees Yoro as a viable alternative. That is despite the Daily Express claiming that Yoro only has eyes for Real Madrid.

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If Liverpool saw that Yoro's stance was that he was open to a move to the Premier League and the switch to Real Madrid stalled, the Reds could potentially get involved in a transfer race. The ECHO has reported that while a center-back is not necessarily deemed a priority at Anfield this summer, Yoro would be a player of interest.

Even in the case that a deal with Real Madrid didn't materialize, though, Liverpool would not have a free run at the player. As well as Manchester United, PSG is also keeping tabs on the situation.

Earlier this week, the Spanish outlet MARCA reported that Real Madrid felt the player wanted a move to the Bernabeu but it was unwilling to match the $53m (£42m/€50m) valuation for a teenager who has one year left on his contract. Lille would like to cash in rather than lose its asset on a free, though it remains to be seen whether Yoro would stick with the Ligue 1 side for another year.

Liverpool.com says: If Liverpool can do a deal for Yoro then that would clearly be a good idea. Signing a center-back is surely a must for the Reds to avoid taking an almighty transfer gamble this summer. It is not yet clear just how viable such a move would be, however. If the player only wants Real Madrid, there isn't much that can be done. Ideally, he will be open to Anfield too.