Liverpool's Summer Rebuild: Diomande and Trincao Targeted
Liverpool’s summer rebuild is taking shape out wide, and it is anything but subtle.
With Mohamed Salah heading for the exit on a free despite having a year left on his deal, Anfield is braced for a major reshuffle in the forward line. Federico Chiesa wants out unless new head coach Andoni Iraola can guarantee him a bigger role. Cody Gakpo is on the market too, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that Liverpool are ready to listen to “important proposals” for the Dutchman.
The message is clear: the wings are being ripped up and rewritten.
Diomande the headline act, but not the only one
Yan Diomande remains the marquee target. Liverpool have placed the 19-year-old RB Leipzig flyer at the top of their list, even as his price climbs. The Athletic report that Leipzig now want in excess of €130m (£112m), a figure that would test the resolve of most clubs.
Liverpool are pushing on regardless. David Ornstein has detailed how the club are better positioned than PSG to agree personal terms with Diomande and that talks between the clubs are already under way. Gakpo has even been floated as a potential makeweight to bring the fee down, according to TEAMtalk.
The numbers are eye-watering. The intent is not.
But with Salah gone, Chiesa agitating and Gakpo potentially sacrificed to land Diomande, Liverpool’s recruitment team know one winger will not be enough. The rebuild needs depth, variety, and goals from both flanks.
That is where Francisco Trincao enters the frame.
Trincao back on a big stage
Liverpool’s interest in the Sporting CP winger first surfaced in Portugal, with Correio da Manha reporting that the club were giving serious thought to a move. Iraola’s arrival has not altered that stance; if anything, the interest has hardened.
Trincao has rebuilt his reputation back home. After a flat loan at Wolves in 2021/22 while on Barcelona’s books, he returned to Portugal, joined Sporting permanently in 2023, and has since grown into one of the Primeira Liga’s most productive wide players.
Last season he delivered 13 goals and 18 assists in all competitions – 31 direct goal contributions from the left foot that once tempted Barcelona. He has now been named in the Primeira Liga team of the season for two years running, a sign that this is no short burst of form but a sustained rise.
Now, according to Portuguese outlet Record, Liverpool are the “closest” club to signing him. The path is straightforward: trigger his €60m (£52m) release clause.
Record go further, stating that Liverpool sit “top of the list” of likely suitors to make that move this summer. With the clause in place, the real decision lies at Anfield.
Double move signals a new-look Liverpool
Put together, the plan is stark. Diomande as the explosive, big-money statement on one flank. Trincao as the polished, left-footed creator on the other. A double signing that would reshape Liverpool’s attack in a single window.
It would also mark a decisive shift away from the Salah era. Different profiles, different ages, different ceilings – but the same expectation: deliver immediately at one of the most demanding clubs in Europe.
Liverpool have made their first move by opening talks for Diomande. If they now choose to pull the trigger on Trincao’s clause, this will not just be a refresh of the wide areas. It will be a complete redraw of the front line.
Anfield has grown used to watching a legend cut in from the right and decide games. The question now is whether a £112m teenager and a £52m revived talent from Lisbon can carry that weight.
