Liverpool just took a tough L in the transfer market. The Reds were all in on RB Leipzig’s 19-year-old winger Yan Diomande, but the kid picked Paris Saint-Germain instead. According to The Athletic, Diomande told Liverpool thanks but no thanks after deciding PSG is his next move if he leaves Germany this summer.
The Ivory Coast international is currently playing at the World Cup and has been convinced by PSG’s long-term plan. President Nasser Al-Khelaifi and football advisor Luis Campos sold him on the project. But the real hook? Working under Luis Enrique. The teenager thinks the PSG boss gives him the best shot at winning big trophies and eventually chasing that Ballon d’Or dream.
Liverpool was ready to drop close to €100 million — that’s about £86.8 million — on the kid. Leipzig said nah. They want closer to €130 million for Diomande, who still has a deal running through 2030. The German club is also trying to get him to sign an extension, hoping to lock him down even longer.
Why Diomande is worth the headache
This kid only joined Leipzig from Leganes last summer and immediately blew up. We’re talking 12 Bundesliga goals and nine assists in 33 appearances. He can play either wing, which makes him a nightmare for defenders. Right now he’s at the World Cup representing the Ivory Coast and should see action Tuesday against Norway in the round of 32.
Leipzig has been here before. They lost key players like Dominik Szoboszlai and Josko Gvardiol in recent years and still kept rolling. But Diomande feels different. At 19, he’s already producing at a level most players don’t hit until their mid-20s. That’s why PSG pushed so hard and why Liverpool is now scrambling.
Liverpool’s backup list
Sporting director Richard Hughes isn’t panicking, though. He’s got a shortlist ready. PSG’s Bradley Barcola is an interesting name — he mostly plays on the left now but broke through as a right winger. So there’s some familiarity there.
Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh is another option. The kid has that explosive style and a profile that actually mirrors Mohamed Salah pretty closely. Then there’s Lille’s Matias Fernandez-Pardo, who can play anywhere across the front line and is one of Europe’s hottest young forwards right now.
Liverpool’s recruitment team is about to go into overdrive. The transfer window is closing and they need to figure out who’s next. Diomande looks bound for Paris. So the question now is: who fills that gap at Anfield?
Leave a Comment