PSG 'steals march on Liverpool' with secret transfer talks as Leny Yoro watches Real Madrid win

Liverpool reportedly holds an interest in Lille defender Leny Yoro. But it will need to beat some European heavyweights in order to complete the deal, and in the latest development, PSG appears to have edged ahead.

Just 18 years old, Yoro has been a regular in Ligue 1 this season, with the 1.9 meter center-back helping Lille to a fourth-placed finish. His side conceded just one more goal than PSG over the course of the campaign.

For Liverpool, the teenager would represent a timely investment into the back line. Joel Matip has left the club, Virgil van Dijk is turning 33 next month, and the likes of Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez face injury question marks.

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The Reds do have their own precocious talent in Jarell Quansah, who appears blessed with similar defensive instincts as well as an imposing physique. But signing Yoro would really future-proof the heart of the defense as Arne Slot gets underway.

However, Liverpool will need to fend off not only PSG but also Real Madrid. And there was something of a double blow on that front over the weekend.

According to L'Equipe, Yoro was in London on Saturday to watch Real Madrid in the Champions League final. One of the hottest tickets in town for anyone in football, that shouldn't worry Liverpool too much — but elsewhere in the capital, the PSG president was meeting with his Lille counterpart.

The meeting, held at Claridges, was not specifically about Yoro. But he was mentioned by Nasser al-Khelaïfi, who 'discussed' the possibility of signing him with Lille co-owner Martin Petermann.

PSG nonetheless still knows that a deal is 'not easy'. The report mentions interest from Chelsea as well as Real Madrid and Liverpool.

But while an official offer is not yet forthcoming, and there is still negotiation to be done, it's hard not to think that PSG might have stolen an early march with this meeting. And with Real Madrid making an informal pitch of its own by once again becoming European champion, Liverpool might have to play catch-up.

Liverpool.com says: Yoro would tick a lot of boxes for Liverpool, but he would certainly test the new recruitment structure to its limits. In his first spell at the club, Michael Edwards tended to sign players in the stage before the likes of Real Madrid and PSG came calling.

But that is getting increasingly more difficult, with even the financial powerhouses wising up to smarter ways of doing transfer business and arriving quickly on the scene for young talent. The emerging battle for Yoro, born in November 2005, sums that up.