FRENCH CONNECTION Chelsea ‘set to raid Ligue 1 for Man Utd transfer target in shock swoop to bolster shaky defensive ranks’
CHELSEA are lining up a move for Leny Yoro to replace Thiago Silva, it's claimed.
Posted Saturday, March 16, 2024 by Thesun.co.uk
Silva, 39, is entering the final few months of his contract and could leave for nothing in the summer.
Leny Yoro of Lille is linked to Chelsea
According to The Standard, Chelsea are interested in Yoro as they weigh up their defensive options.
Yoro has enjoyed a breakthrough season in France, causing Real Madrid and PSG to also keep tabs on the 18-year-old.
The centre-back - dubbed the Raphael Varane - has made 34 appearances this season with two goals.
Manchester United and Liverpool have also been linked with the teenage defender in the past.
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino dropped Silva to the bench for their last two Premier League matches.
But the Blues still had a defensive crisis with Wesley Fofana, Reece James and Levi Colwill still out.
Chelsea have already spent over £1BILLION since American Todd Boehly took over the club.
But it is claimed Boehly and co-owner Behdad Eghbali want to recruit two or three of the world's best players under the age 23 for every position.
Alternatives to Yoro are said to include Sporting Lisbon's Ousmane Diomande and Nice's Jean-Clair Todibo.
And both are believed to have been sounded out as Chelsea plot another big summer of spending.
Chelsea also in the market for a striker and a left-back, with seemingly no concerns about breaching Premier League profit and sustainability rules.
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