Liverpool's Last Attempt for Yan Diomande: A €100m Rejection

Liverpool have thrown one last punch in the Yan Diomande saga. It looks like it will miss.

The Premier League giants have made a late attempt to hijack the 19-year-old winger’s move to PSG, but the key elements around the deal are hardening, not softening. Diomande wants Paris. RB Leipzig are bracing themselves. PSG are ready to pay.

And Liverpool, who installed the Ivorian as their top wide target at the start of the window, are watching their Plan A slip away.

Salah’s shadow and a €100m rejection

Mohamed Salah’s departure, with the final year of his contract ripped up, has left a gaping hole on Liverpool’s right flank. Diomande, comfortable operating from that side of the front line, was quickly identified as the ideal successor.

Liverpool backed that judgment with money. Big money.

An official offer worth €100m (£85m) went in to RB Leipzig. The structure is disputed – some sources say €90m plus €10m in add-ons, others insist on €80m plus €20m – but the headline figure is not. Leipzig turned it down.

At that point, the momentum swung sharply. Diomande made clear his preference: he wanted PSG. For Liverpool, the race looked over almost as quickly as it had started.

That forced Fenway Sports Group to accelerate work on an alternative: Bradley Barcola, the PSG winger whose place in Paris could be squeezed if Diomande arrives. Barcola is not a consolation prize in quality, but in Liverpool’s internal planning, Diomande remains the crown jewel.

Late scramble, firm stance

TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey reports that Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City all made late approaches as the situation developed. Of those three, Liverpool are the most aggressive suitor: he is their priority, and they have already tested Leipzig’s resolve with a nine-figure offer.

The response has not changed. Bailey reiterates that Diomande’s mind is made up. His destination is Paris.

Any suggestion that PSG might cool their interest has been quickly dismissed. Nasser Al-Khelaifi has stepped in personally, taking direct control of negotiations with Leipzig. When the club president gets involved at that level, it usually signals one thing: the deal has moved from ambition to expectation.

Leipzig, according to the same report, now accept internally that Diomande is closing in on a move to the French champions. The Bundesliga side are “increasingly resigned” to losing him, with talks described as progressing well.

Al-Khelaifi steps on the gas

Al-Khelaifi’s long-standing relationship with Red Bull’s hierarchy appears to be doing what Liverpool’s money could not: unlock the transfer.

Sources close to the negotiations believe an agreement is drawing near, with PSG prepared to pay roughly €110m (£93.5m) to get it done. That figure would eclipse Liverpool’s rejected offer and underlines how determined the European champions are to land Diomande.

For Leipzig, the numbers are now too strong to ignore. For Diomande, the project and the city are already chosen. For Liverpool, the window is closing.

Liverpool turn back to Barcola

With hopes of signing Diomande fading fast, Liverpool are expected to swing their focus back towards Barcola.

The France international has reached an impasse with PSG over a new and improved contract and is viewed as attainable at the right price. If Diomande walks through the door in Paris, Barcola’s path to regular minutes narrows, and Liverpool will be ready to test PSG’s resolve.

They wanted Diomande as the statement signing to launch a new era on the right flank. Instead, they may end up building around the player pushed aside to make room for him.

One way or another, Liverpool must fill the void Salah left. The only question now is whether they do it with PSG’s new star – or with the man PSG are prepared to let go.