If Andreas Christensen left, Barcelona would allegedly aim to recruit 17-year-old French defensive prodigy Leny Yoro.
According to Fichajes, a Spanish news site, Leny Yoro is the focus of interest from Barcelona. The Catalan giants are on the lookout for a centre-back in case Andreas Christensen leaves the club. And they’ve set their sights on Lille’s 17-year-old defensive prodigy.
Leny Yoro is a native of Saint-Maurice, France, and has spent his formative years there. The French wonderkid began his youth career with UJA Alfortville before moving on to Villeneuve d’Ascq Metropole for five years. However, he has gained recognition after joining LOSC Lille in 2017.
The Ligue 1 club’s 17-year-old defensive prodigy has progressed through the ranks. In May 2022, he made his first-team debut as a 16-year-old, becoming the club’s second-youngest player. Yoro rapidly rose in size last season and has established himself as a regular in the early stages of the current season.
This season, the teenager has already appeared six games for Lille, scoring twice. Meanwhile, Yoro’s growth has not gone unnoticed, with numerous high-profile teams interested in him, including Barcelona.
The report claims that the reigning La Liga champions are in a spot of bother over the long-term future of Andreas Christensen. Fichajes suggests the Danish international is a target for Premier League clubs. And recent updates have heavily linked the Barcelona defender with Manchester United and Liverpool.
In addition, Christensen might not be the undisputed first-choice centre-back this season. With Joao Cancelo making the right-back berth his own, the former Chelsea defender has to compete with Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo for a spot at the heart of the defence. So, a move away from Barcelona might serve him well. Yoro is thus a viable target for the Blaugrana.
Barcelona can give him time to rise in stature before becoming a regular, considering they have Inigo Martinez and Marcos Alonso in the squad. But Christensen’s departure might not see the light of day, despite the claims by Fichajes. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see if Barcelona’s interest in Yoro escalates.