Liverpool transfer latest: Yan Diomande, Mohamed Salah and Ayyoub Bouaddi
Yan Diomande remains Liverpool’s leading transfer story, but a burst of online speculation this week showed how quickly a shaky report can distort the picture. Claims that RB Leipzig had rejected a second Liverpool bid spread widely, then fell apart when the supposed source couldn’t be verified.
The rumour was dismissed in the Liverpool Echo’s Thursday transfer roundup. The Echo’s Liverpool correspondent, Paul Gorst, has also set out the state of play. The useful takeaway is that talks continue, with no breakthrough so far: Liverpool are still leading the race, while Leipzig have turned down an offer worth up to £86 million and are seeking a club-record £112 million for the 19-year-old.
The numbers help explain why Leipzig can hold their line. On Thursday night, Diomande registered his first direct goal contribution at a World Cup. Across his first three matches at the tournament, he became the first player this century to complete 10 dribbles and create 10 chances. “Wonderkid” may already undersell what he’s doing.
There’s another complication in the reporting. A Bild article—the German outlet wrongly cited as the source of the rejected-bid claim—said Leipzig need to raise €113 million (£97 million) this summer. Selling Diomande would be the simplest route to that sum. The report doesn’t establish that Leipzig are ready to sell, but it does offer a possible financial reason for a deal.
Diomande’s agency, Roc Nation, which is owned by Jay-Z, is reportedly pressing Leipzig to resolve the transfer quickly. That claim, if accurate, adds to the reasons for cautious optimism in Liverpool’s camp. It still doesn’t amount to an agreement.
For more background, see the Echo’s transfer state-of-play report on Diomande, Micky van de Ven and Liverpool’s centre-back situation, and its answers on Diomande, the right-back search and Virgil van Dijk’s contract. Here’s the thing: until Liverpool and Leipzig bridge a substantial gap in valuation, the most solid update is that negotiations are ongoing.
The Diomande situation looks more like a question of timing than whether Liverpool can persuade him to move. Lewis Steele, the Daily Mail’s Liverpool reporter, says Leipzig are “most likely” to have to sell him this summer. He also reports that Diomande wants Liverpool and is frustrated by how long negotiations appear to be taking.
Leipzig can still set the pace. Liverpool have dealt with the German club before, signing Ibrahima Konate and Dominik Szoboszlai, and Steele says the combination of Diomande’s interest, Liverpool’s approaches and Leipzig’s willingness to sell points toward a deal. Patience may be required. That’s a plausible reading, though it doesn’t tell us what is holding things up or when the clubs might agree terms.
Diomande has said he’s putting the transfer question aside until the World Cup ends. Ivory Coast have reached the knockout stages for the first time since 1998 and are due to meet Norway in the round of 32.
“Right now, I don’t know,” he said when asked where he’ll play next season. “I am not thinking about my future after the World Cup. I am trying to put all my energy into the World Cup and we will see what is going to happen after that. I can say nothing about it.”
Liverpool have already shown they’ll do business during the tournament: the signing of Victor Munoz is one example. A move for Diomande could gather pace after Ivory Coast’s campaign ends. They face Norway on Tuesday, June 30.
Saudi interest puts Salah’s next move in focus
Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool chapter is over: the club and their third all-time leading scorer agreed to end his contract by mutual consent this summer. His next destination, however, remains unsettled. Talk of a dramatic reversal has surfaced, but he has been linked most often with Fenerbahce.
Now ESPN Brazil journalist Bruno Andrade, who is known for his contacts in Saudi Arabia, reports that Al Hilal have made Salah their leading attacking target. Through Sport Witness, Andrade described Salah as Al Hilal’s “maximum dream” for a refresh of their attack; another attempt to sign Barcelona’s Raphinha has reportedly been ruled out.
Al Hilal, Saudi Arabia’s most successful club, could pair Salah with Karim Benzema and use him in place of Malcom, the Brazilian winger whose form has been inconsistent. Andrade says the club’s recent purchase by Prince Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud could help fund a three-year contract worth €20 million (£17.1 million) a year, with an option for a fourth season. That would still be below the £400,000 a week Salah earned in basic salary during his final Liverpool year.
The Saudi link is an easy one to make, but the report doesn’t establish that it’s Salah’s preferred move. Whether he wants to leave European football remains an open question.
Liverpool linked with Morocco prospect Bouaddi
Liverpool are also reported to have “firm interest” in Bouaddi, one of the World Cup’s most watched young prospects after switching his international allegiance from France to Morocco.
