Liverpool Pursue Yan Diomande as Mohamed Salah Replacement
Liverpool have made their move for Yan Diomande. And they don’t intend to hang around.
The RB Leipzig winger has emerged as Liverpool’s priority to step into the void left by Mohamed Salah, whose final appearance for the club came at the end of last season. With Cody Gakpo struggling to convince and the attack in need of a new focal point out wide, Anfield’s recruitment team has gone straight for the top shelf.
An opening bid worth a total of €100m has already been turned down by Leipzig. The offer, as clarified by journalist Ben Jacobs, was structured at €80m up front with a further €20m in add-ons, not the €90m plus €10m initially reported.
Leipzig’s response was swift. Rejection, with no sign of hesitation.
Liverpool push, Leipzig dig in
Liverpool, though, are not backing off. Fabrizio Romano has outlined the club’s stance: they will come again. The Premier League side are preparing a new, larger proposal and are working hard on the player side with a strong financial package to convince Diomande that his future lies at Anfield.
Behind the scenes, Liverpool are pushing to secure Diomande’s commitment now, aiming to get him “on their side 100%” before trying to break Leipzig’s resistance with an improved offer.
Leipzig have their own plan. They want to keep Diomande, reward him with a bigger salary and a new contract, and send him into next season’s Champions League campaign as one of their centrepieces. The German club believe that holding him for another year, then allowing him to decide his next step next summer, is the smarter play.
So far, they are standing firm.
No repeat of the Isak saga
This is not expected to become another Alexander Isak-style standoff. Twelve months ago, Liverpool waited all summer as that chase dragged on, complicated by Newcastle’s incoming business and the timing of their own moves. The club accepted the delay because Isak ticked every box: proven Premier League scorer, peak age, form, profile.
This time, the mood is different. There is urgency.
Liverpool want a wide player in early. They do not plan for the Diomande pursuit to drift into August. The first €80m+€20m offer was rejected quickly, and the club are now weighing up whether Leipzig are willing to properly engage in talks or simply shut the door.
If Leipzig refuse to enter the conversation, Liverpool will not sit and wait.
Alternatives on the radar
The strategy reflects that shift. Diomande remains the top target, and there is optimism that the player himself is keen on the move, but the recruitment team has drawn up a list of alternatives.
- Said El Mala
- Yankuba Minteh
- Matias Fernandez-Pardo
- Bradley Barcola
Paris Saint-Germain are another club who could move for Diomande, adding another layer of pressure to Liverpool’s timeline.
Young winger Victor Munoz has already arrived from Osasuna, yet that deal is seen as separate business. It does not alter Liverpool’s determination to land a marquee wide forward this summer.
The message from Anfield is clear: they will be aggressive, they will go beyond €100m for Diomande if the opportunity is real, but they will not be held hostage by a saga.
The next Leipzig response will decide whether this chase becomes a straight sprint – or whether Liverpool pivot and reshape their attack around a different name entirely.
