Yan Diomande Prioritizes Move to Liverpool

Yan Diomande has set his sights on Liverpool. Now the question is whether Liverpool can actually get him.

The 19-year-old RB Leipzig winger, fresh from a breakout season in the Bundesliga and a standout World Cup debut for Ivory Coast, is understood to be “prioritising” a move to Anfield ahead of other suitors, including Paris Saint-Germain.

For a club bracing itself for life after Mohamed Salah, that matters.

Liverpool’s post-Salah puzzle

Liverpool are expected to be busy this summer after a flat 2025/26 campaign, and Andoni Iraola’s first full rebuild will almost certainly revolve around his wide forwards. Salah has gone. The goals, the gravity, the guarantee of chaos on the right flank – all gone with him.

Diomande has quickly emerged as one of the headline options to fill that void. His numbers for Leipzig last season were the sort that make recruitment departments sit up: 12 goals and 8 assists in 33 Bundesliga games. At 19.

He has not just been productive, he has been electric. Over the course of the campaign, he racked up 118 successful dribbles – 50 more than any other player, according to figures cited by former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor on talkSPORT. In a league stacked with high-tempo, transition-heavy sides, that sort of dominance with the ball is hard to ignore.

On the international stage, he has already shown he can handle the glare. Diomande shone in Ivory Coast’s World Cup clash with Ecuador, a performance that only heightened interest from Europe’s elite.

“Convinced by the project”

Liverpool’s pursuit has gathered pace in recent days. Club reporter James William stated on X that the Reds have “made progress” in their attempt to sign Diomande, adding that the player is now prioritising a move to Merseyside and has been “convinced by the project” under Iraola.

For Liverpool, that is a crucial early win. In an era when top young attackers are courted by half of Europe, simply getting to the front of the queue can be half the battle.

The pull is obvious. A club with a recent history of turning raw, explosive wide players into global stars. A league that suits his direct, aggressive style. A vacancy on the right that could be his for a decade if he gets it right.

But nothing is straightforward when PSG are lurking.

PSG in the shadows – and Barcola in the frame

Agbonlahor, though impressed by Diomande, suspects the French champions will ultimately win the race for the teenager.

“I think he goes to PSG because of the way they’re performing at the moment,” he said, before suggesting that such a move could open a different door for Liverpool: Bradley Barcola.

PSG are well-stocked out wide and, if they secure Diomande, Agbonlahor believes they would be prepared to cash in on Barcola – a player valued around £80m – with Liverpool waiting in the wings.

From a stylistic point of view, it is an intriguing contrast. Diomande looks like the more ruthless finisher at this stage of his career. Agbonlahor was blunt on that point: “Diomande would 100 per cent get straight in the team and it looks like he would score more goals than Barcola, he likes to miss a lot of chances.”

Barcola, for all his talent and ceiling, remains a more inconsistent presence in front of goal. Diomande, by comparison, is already bullying full-backs and turning big games in his teens. Agbonlahor even highlighted how he made Piero Hincapié “look ordinary” – “twisted him left, right and centre on the big stage.”

For Liverpool, the equation is risky either way. Invest heavily in the 19-year-old dribbler who might become unplayable – or pivot to a slightly older, still expensive winger in Barcola who may need more refining in the final third.

The Sancho warning

Agbonlahor drew a sharp parallel with Jadon Sancho’s move to Manchester United, a transfer that still hangs over any mega-money deal for a young wide forward.

“United paid 75mil for him, if he comes over and it doesn’t work, it’s a big risk,” he warned.

Liverpool know that as well as anyone. Their recruitment model has thrived on calculated bets rather than blind gambles. Diomande, for all his promise, would be a major swing – both in fee and in responsibility. He would not be arriving to learn quietly in the shadows; he would be walking into the Salah vacuum.

Yet this is also the kind of moment that defines eras. Miss the next great winger and you can spend years trying to patch the gap. Get him, and the entire attack can be rebuilt around his strengths.

Right now, Diomande wants Liverpool. PSG want Diomande. Liverpool, some believe, may end up with Barcola instead.

One way or another, Iraola’s first marquee winger is coming. The only unknown is which name gets printed on the back of that red shirt.