Liverpool's Salah Succession Plan: Diomande and Minteh

Liverpool’s post-Mohamed Salah rebuild has a clear headline: they want a new right-sided winger, and they want a star. But behind the marquee pursuit sits a far cheaper, very deliberate Plan B.

At the top of the list is RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande, the explosive Ivory Coast international whose World Cup form has turned a big reputation into a gigantic price tag. Leipzig are holding firm at around €130million (£112m), a fee that would place him among the most expensive signings in Premier League history.

Liverpool are not walking away. Not yet.

Diomande: The Chosen Heir

Inside Anfield, Diomande is viewed as the long-term heir to Salah’s throne on that right flank. That idea has been sold to the player in detail. Liverpool have laid out a vision of the next era under Andoni Iraola and, crucially, the central role Diomande would play in it.

The message is simple: come to Anfield, and you won’t just be another signing. You’ll be one of the faces of the new Liverpool.

That pitch appears to be landing. Sources close to the negotiations indicate Liverpool believe Diomande wants the move. Confidence is growing that, once the player pushes, Leipzig’s stance will eventually soften.

Talks have intensified since Iraola walked through the door. Liverpool have already tested Leipzig’s resolve with a £90m bid, knocked back without hesitation, but that rejection has not cooled their intent. If anything, it has sharpened it. The club continue to work aggressively on the player side, looking to secure Diomande’s clear approval and, in time, his request to leave.

The strategy is obvious: get Diomande fully committed, then lean on Leipzig with the weight of the player’s will.

Minteh: The £40m Safety Net

Yet Liverpool’s recruitment department are not operating with just one name on the whiteboard.

If the Diomande deal becomes impossible at Leipzig’s current valuation, Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh is expected to be one of the first alternatives they move for. The Seagulls’ winger, highly regarded for his raw pace and ability to beat defenders one-on-one, fits the attacking profile Iraola wants from his wide players: direct, aggressive, unpredictable.

Crucially, he also fits the budget.

Liverpool are understood to have earmarked around £40m for Minteh. That’s a staggering £72m less than Diomande’s price tag, turning the Brighton man into a financially attractive safety net if negotiations in Germany stall beyond the point of no return.

Minteh would represent a different kind of signing. Less of a ready-made global headline, more of a high-upside project who can grow into a leading role. But in a squad that has already seen major change, a younger, cheaper winger with elite physical tools and one-v-one threat carries its own appeal.

A Defining Call in the Post-Salah Era

For now, Liverpool’s energy remains locked on Diomande. The club believe they are making headway, and the sense from those close to the situation is that the winger’s desire to join is real. The plan is clear: keep pushing, keep persuading, and wait for the moment Diomande tells Leipzig he wants Anfield.

If that breakthrough comes, Liverpool will have their statement signing, their Salah successor, and a new attacking focal point for Iraola to build around.

If it doesn’t, Minteh waits in the wings — quicker, cheaper, and ready to turn a contingency plan into a major opportunity.

One way or another, Liverpool’s choice on that right flank will shape what this new era looks like, and how quickly it can live with the memory of the man they’ve just lost.