Liverpool are in direct talks with a star who could be the club's biggest signing since Salah

All is quiet in the Liverpool forwards. With Jurgen Klopp gone and FSG rebuilding Anfield's infrastructure brick by brick, fans would be forgiven for questioning the tumbleweed across red Merseyside.

Michael Edwards, moreover, is back, albeit this time in a bigger, wider, more influential role as CEO of FSG Football. The mastermind behind the transfer came back with the scent of exciting market movements, but all is quiet for now.

Is this a problem? Anxiety? In short: no. Liverpool have long been doing their business in secret with Edwards involved and the exciting future will come out of the blue, like Alisson in the Hawthorns box. Arne Slot, who is still in charge as head coach and is without most of his international squad, has already confirmed that he has been in regular contact with sporting director Richard Hughes as well.

The Reds faithful will be kept waiting for now, but there has been one conversation that speaks volumes about Liverpool's intentions and desire to acquire multi-talented players to ensure spectacular success.

Liverpool are lining up a new defender

According to Football Insider, Liverpool have maintained direct contact with Lille defender Leny Yoro despite the 18-year-old's desire to sign for Real Madrid.

David Ornstein of The Athletic broke the news of Liverpool and Manchester United's interest at the beginning of June, however, he insisted that the respected talent is also liked by Los Blancos and is likely to move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Yoro has one year left on his contract at Lille and there is hope at Anfield given the Ligue 1 side's €60 billion (£51m) demands. Real Madrid are reluctant to extend a bid in excess of €40m (£34m).

Leny Yoro's season by the numbers

After breaking into Lille's first team in the 2022/23 campaign, Yoro established himself as a regular part of Paulo Fonseca's side last season, starting 30 games in the top flight.

Defined as “world class property“Per talent scout Jacek Kulig, Yoro has proven himself to be smart and strong in defence, ranking among the top 7% of defenders across Europe for pass completion last season (FBref) and winning 63% of his contested matches. (Sofascore) .

Also hailed as a “quick learner” by former coach Jean-Michel Vandamme, Yoro is on the verge of succeeding at the highest level and this shows his talent and the urgent need to take him to this new level. Liverpool will long take the missed opportunity to land him, if he joins Real Madrid.

Yoro will be a revelation in Liverpool's backline, with his confidence perhaps making him the biggest coup Liverpool have secured in a long time.

The reason why Liverpool want Leny Yoro

Slot was signed by Liverpool for many reasons, one important aspect coming from a certain similarity with one Klopp. Make no mistake, the Slot is no pastiche, imitating its flamboyant German counterpart, but instead carries subtle elements that shape its own unique style.

After all, the Dutchman commented when discussing the similarities between his game and Pep Guardiola, the manager of Man City, in 2023: “I don't want to compare myself to Pep, but he is a controlling person like me.”

Take control. The name of success in this modern shaped football stadium. Gone are the hoofball days, the chairlift eras of Sir Alex Ferguson's direct and painful success.

Slot, quite simply, is built for Premier League success at this stage, and Yoro will be the architect from the back. Iraima Konate is a strong and stylish defender but lacks stamina and struggles with a lack of form. Virgil van Dijk is an inspirational leader and a world-class player but he is about to turn 33 and enters the final year of his Liverpool contract.

Quansah, 21 and on loan from League One for the past 14 months, would be competing with Yoro for a starting spot, although the Frenchman's reputation as a “generational talent” – a claim relayed by The Athletic's Mario Cortegana – suggests he could be. Slot's cream crop.

Liverpool sees the whole saga as a unique market opportunity that could usher in a new era with a player of incredible skill. In addition, his style of play discussed above carries the ideas of Van Dijk, who minimizes the defense and instead relies on movement and a sharp reading of the game to eliminate danger at a young age, similar to the Netherlands captain.

Out of contract in one year and available at an attractively affordable fee, Yoro could be Liverpool's next version of Mohamed Salah, who has arrived at a reasonable price and is destined for popularity.

The 25-year-old Salah signed for Liverpool from AS Roma in a £34m deal in 2017, recording 43 goals and 26 assists in three Italian campaigns after failing to impress at Chelsea.

The rest, as they say, is history. Salah has emerged from English and continental football as a bulldozer on the hayfield, scoring 211 goals and 89 assists in 349 games for the Reds, winning the entire gamut under Klopp.

Signed astutely before his golden days, molded into a world-beater, Salah is arguably the king of Klopp's reign, synonymous with the latter's trophy-laden glory years on the red side of the River Mersey.

Yoro. Different man, different role, different circumstances, different leader. However, it is possible that the young centre-half could have a similar impact, taking Liverpool back beyond the level they have done in the last few years and allowing Slot to promote a trophy-winning vision that will collect Europe's biggest prizes for years to come.

Liverpool have had a period of great change but plans for success have been laid out, no doubt. Slot is intriguing and has the potential to flourish but must now aim to secure a major coup for his new asset from Salah.

Yoro will undoubtedly be considered the best in the world in just a few years, maybe even later.