Although a transfer is far from official, Real Madrid look increasingly like the favorites to sign coveted Lille center back Leny Yoro ahead of interest from the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, and PSG.
Real Madrid have beaten top Premier League clubs and PSG to elite French talent before, signing world-class center midfielders Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga in previous transfers, with Camavinga joining for far less than market value at 30 million euros.
The Merengue club are hoping to get a similar deal with Yoro, who, like Camavinga, has thus far been holding out for a transfer to Real Madrid and Real Madrid only.
If all goes to plan, Juni Calafat will secure the signing of a player he views as a generational talent for around 40 million euros. And if he does, Yoro could start immediately even as a teenager because of how highly he is rated.
Assuming Yoro signs to start, here is a look at how the 2024/25 Real Madrid lineup could look like with the standout French center back on board.
GK Thibaut Courtois
Andriy Lunin’s future will be the subject of much discussion for yet another summer, except, this time, his departure may be “for real” after a stellar 2023/24 season in which he was right there with the likes of Yann Sommer as the best goalkeeper in Europe.
But as Carlo Ancelotti made it clear in the lead up to the Champions League Final, this goalkeeping job at the Santiago Bernabeu still belongs to Thibaut Courtois, who proved why he is still the best in the world with a strong Final performance.
LB Alphonso Davies
Ferland Mendy and Fran Garcia are the two current left back options for Real Madrid, but they are underwhelming in their own unique ways despite being decent footballers overall.
Real Madrid strive for more than decent, so while there is a lot of smoke and mirrors about how Carlo Ancelotti wants to keep Mendy as the starter for 2024/25, Los Merengues have always aimed for better than “decent”.
Alphonso Davies has been linked to Real Madrid just as frequently as Leny Yoro, and unless you believe Bayern Munich are willing to let one of the world’s best left backs go for free, Davies will be available for the taking this summer.
CB Leny Yoro
Leny Yoro will trade starts with Antonio Rudiger, who is the only other starting-caliber center back on Real Madrid who can compete with Yoro, as Eder Militao’s job on the right side of the defense is undisputed.
With a pass completion percentage over 92 in Ligue 1 last season and 2.2 combined tackles and interceptions per game, Yoro is ready for the big time at the Bernabeu.
CB Eder Militao
Eder Militao’s return to full strength was a nifty boost for Real Madrid at the end of the season, and he just might be the best center back on the planet.
RB Dani Carvajal
Likewise, Dani Carvajal can, once again, claim he is the best right back in the world after a phenomenal bounce-back season in 2023/24.
Carvajal was energetic in the attack again and seems to have gotten even better defensively with age, as he showed when he started as a center back after the David Alaba injury.
DM Aurelien Tchouameni
Aurelien Tchouameni is the anchoring point of the Real Madrid midfield and somehow even more important to the cause than he already was due to Toni Kroos’ retirement.
CM Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham will have to make way for the new signings at Real Madrid and play a role closer to what he did at Borussia Dortmund as a box-to-box No. 8 instead of the No. 10 whom the formation is based around.
The thing is, Bellingham was just as good at Dortmund despite the issues surrounding him, so, if anything, he could be even better as an 8 even if he scores fewer goals.
Because at the end of the day, it’s about Real Madrid scoring the goals as a team and performing as a team, which Bellingham will definitely contribute to. And he can still make those key runs into the box from midfield, which is what Real Madrid sorely lacked before his arrival.
CM Fede Valverde
Fede Valverde had a career year in 2023/24 with two goals and seven assists. The Uruguayan was always a strong creator, but last season, he took a step towards being elite in that regard with all the assists he racked up.
Real Madrid have tasked Valverde with playing the most unselfish role in the squad, and he’s done it to a “T”, becoming a literal legend in the process in the eyes of supporters.
LW Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior is arguably the best player in the world right now, as he contributed to 20 league goals and 10 more in the Champions League in exactly 10 games.
On the biggest stage, Vinicius Jr. steps up like nobody else, and he will maintain his position on the left wing even with Kylian Mbappe signing on.
ST Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe is just as good playing through the middle as he is coming off the left, and he and Vinicius Jr. will combine on the left side like Karim Benzema and Vini did in the unforgettable 2021/22 Champions League winning campaign.
Real Madrid won two Champions League titles without Mbappe, and so the expectation is for Mbappe to win the first of his career with a superteam already in place.
RW Arda Guler
Arda Guler should be part of that superteam. The left-footer’s incredible Euro 2024 goal against Georgia, a repeat of a previous curled effort for the Turkish national team, is a sign that like fellow playmaker Brahim Diaz, he can easily start on the right side of the attack as an inverted winger.
Although Guler doesn’t have the seniority on Rodrygo Goes and is more of a playmaker than a winger, Rodrygo’s natural position isn’t on the right side either.
Guler can offer a bigger goal threat than Rodrygo as a left-footer, and based on his goal-scoring output for club and country through this early point in his career, he looks like an even better option than the 2021/22 Champions League hero.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.