Yan Diomande has opened up on transfer links to Liverpool, and while he is giving nothing away on the chances of a summer move, he has admitted to being motivated by the interest, and with TEAMtalk providing an update on the prospects of a blockbuster move to Anfield.
The Merseyside giants are preparing for what looks like another major summer rebuild at Anfield. With Mohamed Salah now having a maximum of 180 minutes left of his glittering Liverpool career, the club are actively seeking a world-class replacement to step into his shoes as the Egyptian prepares for what will undoubtedly be an emotional goodbye.
While the likes of Bradley Barcola, Desire Doue and Michael Olise have all been listed as ambitious targets but likely beyond their reach, that has left RB Leipzig’s electric teenager Diomande as the club’s number one top target.
And with the Reds understood to be preparing an initial bid for a star who sources claim Liverpool officials have been in ‘daily contact’ with since December, the 19-year-old has opened up on the possibility of securing a big-money move this summer.
However, in what may look like a carefully-worded ploy to avoid naming Liverpool directly, Diomande instead mentioned Chelsea when discussing a future away from the Red Bull Arena.
Speaking to Bulinews, he said: “Of course, if you imagine someone saying you have to go to Chelsea or Real Madrid to do this job, you’re going to be happy and motivated to do more.
“But I don’t think about this kind of thing because I’m trying to be focused on the pitch. Because my job is playing football, I leave everything else outside the pitch. It gives me a lot of motivation to see clubs speak about me. I’m focused. My contract runs until 2030, so I have four more years.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen after that. I’m a Leipzig player.
“That’s a big motivation because nobody knew me before. Paying €20 million for a player that nobody knows is a lot. That was a big risk for them, and I’m thankful for that. We are on a good way, and it’s not over. We need to keep going and keep working hard.
“I will never forget this opportunity. It’s not only about playing football. The club has helped me a lot off the pitch. The media only sees me on the pitch, but the club has helped me a lot with my family and my mom.
“I’m very grateful, and the only thing I can do to say thanks is to give everything on the pitch, and that’s what I’m trying to do every day. I have a new dream every day, so I’m trying to go step by step.”
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Diomande also admitted his motivation to succeed Salah in more ways than one, by also coming to being regarded as the best African footballer on the planet.
“It’s been an amazing season for me as a young boy, playing at the Africa Cup of Nations, qualifying for the Champions League, and now I’m going to play at the World Cup. I’m proud of myself and the people who followed me since the beginning,” he continued.
“I didn’t expect everything to happen so quickly, but of course, I have the ambition and vision. I want to become one of the best players in Africa and in Europe.”
Any deal, though, will not come cheap. The information TEAMtalk has persistently received is that Leipzig will not take a penny less than their €100m (£86.6m, $117m) valuation of the teenager. If met, it would make him the third biggest signing in Liverpool’s history.
Nonetheless, our transfer insider, Graeme Bailey, reported on April 21 that Liverpool had opened official talks with Diomande’s agents over a deal for the winger.
And it’s our understanding that Liverpool plan to strike an agreement with the Ivory Coast international’s agents before the start of the 2026 World Cup finals this summer – that means a move to Anfield could be done within the next 28 days.
Diomande’s carefully-worded response to Liverpool links come just a matter of months after he publicly acknowledged he wanted to join Liverpool as his ‘next club’.
Beyond that, Liverpool have also been given fresh hope of a deal for Anthony Gordon after three significant doubts threw his potential transfer to Bayern Munich up in the air.
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