Liverpool's Winger Search: Diomande Drifting to PSG, Pulisic as Alternative

Liverpool’s pursuit of one of Europe’s brightest young wingers is slipping away, and a familiar Anfield voice has already pointed towards a very different solution.

Diomande drifts towards Paris

Yan Diomande was the headline target. Liverpool pushed hard, tabled a bid worth $113.9 million — $91.1m up front and a further $22.8m in add-ons — and made the 19-year-old RB Leipzig winger the centrepiece of their summer plans.

It hasn’t been enough.

While Diomande lights up the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Ivory Coast, the momentum around his future has swung decisively towards Paris. Reports on Sunday revealed his preference is to join reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain, and he is now said to have agreed a five-year contract to move to the French capital.

The deal is not done yet, but the machinery is in motion. PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has already opened direct talks with Leipzig and is described as confident that an agreement will be reached. At this stage, it looks like a matter of numbers, not persuasion.

For Liverpool, a marquee plan is close to collapsing.

Liverpool’s shortlist – and a different idea

Liverpool have not been caught cold. A list of alternatives has been drawn up, with four names already identified as potential replacements for Diomande’s profile and output.

• Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh
• Cologne’s Said El Mala
• Lille’s Matias Fernandez-Pardo
• West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville

have all been flagged, according to a previous report from The Athletic. All are talented, all fit the age and resale model that has underpinned much of Liverpool’s recent recruitment.

But one of the club’s greatest modern goalscorers believes the answer lies elsewhere.

Robbie Fowler, never shy of a firm opinion when it comes to Liverpool’s attack, used X to float a name that has barely featured in the Diomande conversation.

“Plenty of rumours about as to who's going to @LFC. One name I've not seen mentioned is Pulisic,” he wrote. “Good age, played in the Prem, exciting player, I'd take him, potentially a Salah type of pathway, thoughts?”

In a few lines, Fowler cut through the scouting jargon and analytics talk. Proven, Premier League-ready, big-game experience. Christian Pulisic ticks boxes Liverpool know well.

Pulisic’s profile: proven and restless

At 27, Pulisic is in his prime and on a big stage of his own. He is currently leading the United States at a home World Cup, playing two of three group games as Mauricio Pochettino’s side topped Group D to reach the knockouts.

His club situation, though, is more nuanced.

Pulisic plays for AC Milan in Serie A, where he has rebuilt his reputation after a mixed spell at Chelsea. Across four Premier League seasons at Stamford Bridge from 2019 to 2023, he made 98 top-flight appearances and scored 20 goals. Flashes of brilliance, frustration with injuries, but an undeniable ceiling.

The numbers from the 2025/26 campaign tell a clear story. Pulisic has produced 10 goals and 4 assists. Diomande, by comparison, has 13 goals and 10 assists. The younger man is ahead on raw output, but Fowler’s argument is not about spreadsheets. It is about readiness and fit.

Pulisic has lived the Premier League grind. He understands the pace, the physicality, the scrutiny. He has carried the weight of expectation for club and country. For a Liverpool side potentially reshaping its forward line, that kind of experience carries value.

Contract tension at Milan

There is another layer: timing.

Pulisic has just one year left on his Milan contract, although the club holds an option to extend it by a further 12 months. On paper, that gives the San Siro hierarchy control. In reality, it also creates a decision point.

According to TEAMtalk, Pulisic is disappointed not to have been approached over a new deal that reflects his status as one of Serie A’s standout attackers. That silence has not gone unnoticed. His entourage has already sounded out Premier League clubs over a possible return to England.

For Milan, the equation is simple enough. Trigger the option and keep a top-level attacker for longer, or cash in this summer before his value dips, particularly if he enjoys a productive World Cup on home soil.

For Liverpool, the calculation is different. Diomande would have been a statement signing at a premium price, a long-term project with explosive upside. Pulisic would be a more immediate weapon, potentially available at a more accessible fee, with far fewer unknowns.

A familiar pathway?

Fowler’s comparison was deliberate. Mohamed Salah arrived at Liverpool with Premier League scars from his Chelsea spell but returned as a more complete, ruthless forward. A different player, a different era, but the “second chance in England” storyline is hard to ignore.

Pulisic is not Diomande. He is older, more battle-hardened, and his ceiling might be clearer to gauge. Yet for a club that has so often thrived by backing players who needed the right environment, the American’s profile feels like more than a throwaway suggestion from a club legend.

Liverpool may still chase youth and upside with Minteh, El Mala, Fernandez-Pardo or Summerville. Or they may decide that, with Diomande drifting towards Paris, the smartest move is to lean on a forward who already knows the terrain.

If Milan keep stalling and Pulisic keeps performing, the question will not be whether he is an option for Liverpool.

It will be how long they can afford to ignore him.