Liverpool Pursue RB Leipzig Star Yan Diomande

Liverpool’s first major move of the Andoni Iraola era is taking shape – and it could be a blockbuster. Talks with Yan Diomande’s camp have “made progress” over a summer switch to Anfield, with the RB Leipzig winger emerging as the club’s clear priority target.

This is not a gentle reset. It’s a rebuild of a forward line that has lost its defining figure.

Mohamed Salah’s early contract termination has ripped a hole in Liverpool’s right flank. The club want at least one wide attacker who can both score and stretch games, and the uncertainty around Federico Chiesa and Cody Gakpo only deepens that need. Iraola steps into the job knowing his first signing may have to carry serious weight.

Liverpool’s new era, Leipzig’s new jewel

Even before Iraola officially replaced the sacked Arne Slot at the end of May, Liverpool’s recruitment team had zeroed in on Diomande. The 19‑year‑old has just delivered a statement season in the Bundesliga: 12 goals and 9 assists in 33 league appearances for Leipzig.

Those numbers, at that age, in that league, travel well. So does his contract.

Leipzig have him tied down until 2030, and they are acting like it. The German club have set an asking price of at least €100 million (£87 million), and are actively trying to push through a new deal to lock in even more value. For now, that effort is on hold. Diomande is away on international duty at the World Cup, and Leipzig know serious negotiations will have to wait.

Liverpool, crucially, do not.

They have opened dialogue with his representatives and believe there is an opportunity to strike while the player’s contractual situation remains unresolved. The sense inside Anfield is that if a superclub is going to prise him away from the Red Bull system this summer, they want to be first in line.

A price that keeps climbing

On GIVEMESPORT’s Market Madness podcast, senior football correspondent Ben Jacobs summed up the mood around the fee with a quip: Leipzig “seem to be adding about a million a day” to Diomande’s price tag.

Behind the joke sits a clear strategy. As Jacobs explained, Leipzig are keeping the valuation above €100 million to buy time while they wait for Diomande’s decision on a new contract. Until he gives them a firm yes or no, they intend to keep the figure as high as possible to stall any serious progress on a transfer.

Once the player finally declares his hand, the situation should snap into focus. If he commits to a fresh deal, Leipzig can shut down talk of a move this summer. If he signals he wants to go, the German club will have to engage properly – and the overall package is expected to soften “at least a little bit”.

For Liverpool, that moment is key. They want to move quickly, but they are dealing with a seller that knows exactly how to squeeze every last euro from elite talent.

Top target, willing player

Red Bull clubs have a reputation for being awkward sellers, but Liverpool are not walking into a cold room. They enjoy a strong relationship both with Diomande’s agency and with Leipzig themselves, and that has helped them position as one of the leading contenders.

Inside Anfield, the view is clear: Diomande is the top choice. The number one attacking target.

Jacobs reports that Liverpool have “made progress on the player side” and are “relatively optimistic” that Diomande wants the move, even though the teenager recently spoke publicly about his admiration for PSG. That Paris pull will not surprise anyone in the market for Europe’s brightest young forwards, yet Liverpool believe the project under Iraola, the Premier League platform, and their existing ties with his camp give them a strong hand.

For now, Diomande is at the Ivory Coast training camp, which may slow the pace of talks. The intent from Liverpool, though, is clear: they would like to get this one done quickly.

An “explosive” answer to Salah’s exit?

Diomande does not hide what he is. Earlier this season, speaking to the Bundesliga’s official channels, he described himself in blunt, confident terms: “My style is explosive, fast, and physically strong. Quick, agile, and also a finisher. I know I am not yet a perfect finisher, but I am only 19. With time, it will come – and I will become a killer in front of goal.”

That self‑portrait reads like a scouting brief for the kind of wide forward Liverpool have built their recent history on: pace, aggression, end product, and the promise of far more to come. With Salah gone and the forward unit in flux, the idea of dropping a 19‑year‑old with those tools into Iraola’s high‑energy, front‑foot football is easy to see – and hard to ignore.

Leipzig, of course, know all of this. That is why the price is high, the stance is firm, and the clock is ticking.

Liverpool have made their move. Diomande’s decision, and Leipzig’s response, will tell whether Iraola’s first statement signing arrives this summer or remains the one that got away.