Liverpool Targets Diomande as Salah Successor
Liverpool’s search for the heir to Mohamed Salah has zeroed in on a teenager lighting up the World Cup – but patience will be the price of ambition.
Liverpool circle Diomande as Salah succession plan
At Anfield, the brief is brutally simple: find the man to follow Salah. Replacing nine years of goals, moments and trophies is anything but.
Inside the club, there is a growing belief that Yan Diomande is that man.
Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes has long identified the RB Leipzig winger as a perfect stylistic and strategic fit for the next era of the attack. Talks were first opened back in December, with Liverpool sounding out Leipzig over a possible deal months before the summer window gathered pace.
Leipzig’s stance, though, is clear and stubborn. They want to keep their prize asset for at least another year. They are convinced his value will soar, and that selling now risks cashing out too early on a player they see as one of the Bundesliga’s next big exports.
That belief is reflected in the numbers. Any serious conversation, sources say, starts at around €100m (£87m, $116m) and could climb towards €120m (£104m, $140m). Liverpool know they are shopping in the top bracket.
World Cup stage, World Cup spotlight
If Leipzig needed more evidence of Diomande’s trajectory, they got it on Sunday.
The 19-year-old caught the eye in Ivory Coast’s 1-0 World Cup win over Ecuador, tormenting Arsenal defender Piero Hincapié down the flank and giving him a long, uncomfortable evening. It felt like a preview of what Premier League full-backs might be dealing with in the years ahead.
Emerse Fae, Ivory Coast’s head coach, watched Diomande complete four dribbles and carry his threat deep into Ecuador’s half. He struggled to contain his admiration afterwards.
“Yan – what can I say? I can’t put it into words,” Fae said, before expanding on the winger’s character as much as his flair.
“He’s very talented, but beyond the talent, he’s very young, and he’ll improve.
“He’s a kid who works hard, has a real team spirit, laughs with everyone, and he listens, listens to the technical staff whenever he’s given advice, and tries to do his best, as he’s told.
“It’s easy to work with someone like Yan, he’s so talented and has what is needed, plus he can give you the victory and was a real challenge for Hincapié, a Champions League finalist.”
On the pitch, Diomande played like a man ready for a bigger stage. Off it, his future is being debated in every mixed zone he walks through.
‘They tell me he’s about to sign with Liverpool’
Fae lifted the lid on the swirl of speculation around his young star.
“When we were in France, during the preparation, journalists told me he was about to sign with PSG,” he revealed after the Group E win. “Here, they tell me he’s about to sign with Liverpool!
“I don’t know, but for now, he will focus on the World Cup, and then afterwards, he can think about the rest of his career…”
That line matters for Liverpool. It means no quick breakthrough, no early resolution. Diomande’s camp and his national team want all talk shelved until Ivory Coast’s tournament is over.
Behind the scenes, though, the noise is growing. The 19-year-old is understood to have given the green light to a move to Anfield, signalling his willingness to join Liverpool if the clubs can find common ground on a fee.
Gakpo on the table as Liverpool weigh a swap
The problem is obvious: the price. With Leipzig setting such a high bar, Liverpool are exploring creative solutions.
One option under discussion, according to sources, is a swap-style arrangement that would see Cody Gakpo move in the opposite direction as part of a big-money package. It would be a bold move, a reshaping of the forward line in one swing, but it would also dramatically reduce the cash outlay required for Diomande.
Liverpool’s recruitment team know they cannot afford missteps in the post-Salah rebuild. Every big decision in attack carries long-term weight. Diomande’s age, ceiling and profile make him a compelling answer, but only if the numbers add up.
Barcola joins the shortlist
Diomande is not the only winger on the radar.
Reporter Graeme Bailey has confirmed that Bradley Barcola wants to leave PSG, and the Frenchman has quickly emerged as another big-money target for Liverpool and Arsenal. At 21, Barcola fits the same broad profile: young, explosive, high upside, and capable of playing across the frontline.
For Liverpool, it sharpens the picture. Two elite young wingers, two heavy negotiations, one looming vacancy on the right of their attack.
The Salah era is drawing to a close. Somewhere between Leipzig and Paris, Liverpool are trying to decide who gets the keys to that flank next.
