Liverpool draw up list of Leny Yoro alternatives amid Man United transfer

Leny Yoro has been in the news this week with Liverpool's reason for not making a move coming to light amid joining Manchester United.

On Thursday it was announced that the Red Devils had completed the signing of highly-rated teenaged defender from Ligue 1 outfit Lille in a deal worth €62m (£52.2m) plus €8m of add-ons.

Now, Yoro is a player who was of interest to Liverpool but such was the player’s desire to move to Real Madrid, the expectation was for the 18-year-old to end up at the Santiago Bernabeu - either this summer or in 2025.

Although, perhaps to the surprise of some, the Frenchman has sealed a move to Old Trafford. Having said that, the Liverpool Echo have revealed why Liverpool decided to pass on Yoro.

It's simple; money and opportunity. The Reds didn't think they could justify making an 18-year-old the second most-expensive defender in their history given the options already at their disposal.

In Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah, new Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has strength in depth in central defence ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, so the club's decision not to pursue Yoro does make sense but only time will tell if the choice will be vindicated.

Yoro alternatives revealed

It's time for Liverpool to move on from Yoro, but it remains to be seen if the club will dip into the market for a central defender before the summer transfer window slams shut.

According to reports, there are plans to address this area partly down to the uncertainty surrounding the future of van Dijk with CaughtOffside, claiming the Reds are clear favourites to sign Sporting CP centre-back Goncalo Inacio.

Despite the 22-year-old having a €60m (£51.5m) release clause in his contract, there is the growing feeling that a compromise can be reached on a fee amid reports in Portugal claiming Sporting have dropped their asking price by £12m.

Failing that, the Reds are said to have drawn up a contingency plan in case a deal for Inacio doesn't work out with the club ready to explore alternatives such as Nice's Jean-Clair Todibo, Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi, and Willian Pacho who plays in Germany for Eintracht Frankfurt.