Liverpool Targets Yan Diomande Amid PSG Interest

Liverpool’s search for a new right-sided star after the departure of Mohamed Salah has zeroed in on one name – but the tug of war is only just beginning.

Diomande drawn to Anfield

Yan Diomande, the 19-year-old RB Leipzig winger who has just delivered a breakout season in the Bundesliga, is now “prioritising” a move to Liverpool, according to club reporter James William.

Liverpool, bruised by a disappointing 2025/26 campaign, are expected to reshape Andoni Iraola’s squad this summer, with wide areas high on the list. Diomande fits the brief almost too neatly.

Twelve goals and eight assists in 33 league games for Leipzig. A constant menace off the flank, direct and fearless. He carried that form onto the international stage as well, impressing for Ivory Coast against Ecuador on his World Cup debut and underlining why Europe’s elite have circled.

Paris Saint-Germain are among those clubs. The French champions have tracked Diomande and remain a serious threat to Liverpool’s plans, but William reports that the player has been “convinced by the project” at Anfield and is eager to work under Iraola.

Liverpool have been described as “pushing” for the deal in recent days, with Ivory Coast’s manager also telling reporters he has heard Diomande is heading to Merseyside this summer. The noises around the player are growing louder. The deal, though, is far from straightforward.

PSG’s pull – and the Barcola twist

That is where the story bends. Former Aston Villa forward Gabby Agbonlahor believes the gravitational pull of PSG might still prove decisive.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Agbonlahor argued that Diomande’s age and ceiling will inevitably drive his value and his suitors into the highest bracket. He highlighted the winger’s 12 goals and nine assists in the league for Leipzig last season at just 19, and pointed to his extraordinary output with the ball at his feet: 118 successful dribbles, 50 more than any other player, and a performance that left Piero Hincapié “twisted left, right and centre on the big stage”.

For Agbonlahor, that level of impact screams PSG.

“I think he goes to PSG because of the way they’re performing at the moment,” he said, before sketching out the knock-on effect. In his view, if PSG land Diomande, they will be prepared to move on Bradley Barcola – and Liverpool will be waiting.

The Frenchman, valued at around £80m, would then become the alternative solution for Iraola’s forward line. Barcola is not as ruthless in front of goal, Agbonlahor suggested, noting that he “likes to miss a lot of chances”, but he still sees Liverpool emerging with one of the two wide forwards.

“Either way, Liverpool will get one of the two players,” he said, adding that PSG “will want the 19-year-old”.

The comparison with Jadon Sancho and his £75m move to Manchester United served as a warning: investing heavily in a young winger remains a gamble, no matter how dazzling the numbers.

For Liverpool, the choice may not be entirely theirs. They have a teenager in Diomande who is now leaning towards Anfield, a rival in PSG with the financial muscle to change any equation, and a potential fallback in Barcola who could reshape their attack in a very different way.

One way or another, the hole Salah left on that right flank will not stay empty for long. The only question is which young winger walks out to You’ll Never Walk Alone when the new season starts.