Liverpool step up pursuit of Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig – The Athletic

Liverpool have made contact with RB Leipzig as they step up their pursuit of forward Yan Diomande.

The Merseyside club are also in the strongest position with the player over a potential deal at present.

Leipzig have consistently stressed that the 19-year-old is not for sale and that it would take a bid in excess of €130million (£112.4m, $151.2m) to change that stance.

There may be a reluctance at Anfield to reach such numbers, given the £450m outlay last summer and other work required in this window.

Diomande, who joined Leipzig from Leganes in the summer of 2025, is tied to the club until 2030 on a contract which does not contain a release clause.

Paris Saint-Germain maintain a strong interest of their own but are not currently as advanced as Liverpool, who have a ready-made slot in the team following Mohamed Salah’s departure. PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi does, however, hold a good relationship with Red Bull managing director Oliver Mintzlaff.

Manchester City are also among a host of admirers, though they have yet to make as significant inroads.

The Ivory Coast international enjoyed a breakthrough season with Leipzig, providing 13 goals and 10 assists in 36 appearances in all competitions to help the club qualify for the Champions League.

Diomande was asked about speculation regarding his future during an interview with reporters, including The Athletic, last month. “Imagine people say you go to Chelsea or Real Madrid (as examples of big clubs) to do this job … you’re going to be happy and motivated to do more,” he said.

“I don’t think about it too much because my focus is on the pitch, my job is playing football, that takes care of everything, but it gives me a lot of motivation to see people talking about me.”

Following their significant investment last summer they have also committed to pay £55m plus another £5m in potential add-ons for defender Jeremy Jacquet, who will officially join the club from Rennes on July 1 after that deal was agreed in January.

Salah, Liverpool’s third all-time leading scorer, confirmed in March he was set to leave the club at the end of the season.

What would Diomande bring?

Analysis by German football correspondent Seb Stafford-Bloor

Diomande is two-footed. He can beat a defender on the left or the right, and with technique or raw thrust. He can shoot (and score) with placement or power and can plot his way to goal or otherwise force his way there.

In time, he will surely become one of those players who poses a threat any time he touches the ball. What must be terrifying for any defender facing him, particularly one-on-one, is just how quickly Diomande can change speed.

He was measured this season as the fifth-quickest player in the Bundesliga — above Karim Adeyemi, Said El Mala and Bazoumana Toure — but he has the kind of acceleration that allows him to jump up through the gears, even from a standing start, making it extremely difficult to subdue him when he has the ball.

Why do Liverpool want him?

Analysis from Liverpool correspondent James Pearce

Liverpool have been dogged by a lack of pace and threat in wide areas this season.

On the right flank, Salah’s output has declined dramatically with the Egyptian contributing just 12 goals in all competitions.

On the left, Cody Gakpo has also struggled for form with the Dutch forward only netting on nine occasions. The emergence of Rio Ngumoha has provided one of the few positives during a wretched campaign for Liverpool, but the teenager is still learning his trade.

Buying a Salah replacement who can give their attack a new dimension was always going to be Liverpool’s biggest priority in the transfer market this summer.

With the ineffective Federico Chiesa also expected to leave and Hugo Ekitike set to be sidelined until midway through next season due to a ruptured Achilles, they need to significantly bolster their options up top.

Diomande certainly fits the bill having lit up the Bundesliga with Leipzig this season. He’s quick, he’s direct, he creates and he scores.

At the age of 19, the Ivory Coast international also fits with the club’s usual strategy of investing in young talent with a high ceiling.

The only concern would be the size of the price tag, with talk that he could cost as much as £85m. That’s a hefty fee off the back of one good season in Germany, but signing him would help address a glaring weakness.