Liverpool-linked defender Leny Yoro has issued a vehement response after an online account claiming to be his remarked on transfer speculation.
The Lille centre-back has apparently been a top target for the Reds in recent weeks, but Manchester United appeared to steal a march on the 18-year-old over the last few days as the Ligue 1 club accepted a bid in excess of €50 million (£42.3 million) (Fabrizio Romano).
In light of the news, a profile on X with the username @YoroLeny wrote: ‘I don’t want you @ManUtd. Leave me alone,” which may have appeared to be the player’s rejection of the Old Trafford outfit.
However, upon viewing that tweet, Yoro revealed it as a phony user, writing: “Fake account.” You folks are psychotic. Signal this account.
The player’s real X handle is @leny_yoro, as evidenced by a prior post from Lille’s official channel on the social media platform that tagged him with that identity.
According to multiple reputable sources, Yoro’s preference is to join Real Madrid this summer, thus Liverpool would need to make a very compelling offer to influence the player in any event.
According to the Italian transfer reporter, Lille is attempting to urge the 18-year-old to accept United’s offer because it is the ‘best’ one on the table thus far, but whether he would heed those apparent appeals from club officials remains to be seen.
This episode casts a disturbing light on the usage of social media in football transfers in the present day, where false identities may be easily created in order to court controversy and mimic players.
Thankfully, Yoro has called it out, though we’d hazard to say that not many X users fell for the post from the catfish account, and we’ll have to wait and see what the Lille defender decides about his future.
