Liverpool and Manchester City Race for Yan Diomande

Liverpool’s post‑Mohamed Salah era has a face in mind, and the club are trying to bring him to Anfield before anyone else can get near him.

Yan Diomande, the 19‑year‑old winger tearing up the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig, has been pushed to the top of Liverpool’s recruitment agenda, with Fenway Sports Group driving an aggressive attempt to close a deal inside the next two weeks. The urgency is simple: Manchester City and Paris Saint‑Germain are circling, and Liverpool do not want to be drawn into a bidding war they cannot control.

Salah will leave Anfield this summer. That decision has been known internally for some time, and Liverpool’s recruitment department have treated this season as a countdown. Diomande, signed by Leipzig from Leganes only last summer, has accelerated that clock with the speed of his development and the clarity of his output.

Thirteen goals. Ten assists. Thirty‑six games in all competitions.

Those are not the numbers of a prospect learning the ropes; they are the returns of a forward already shaping games at elite level.

Crucially for Liverpool, Diomande has done much of that damage from the right flank. He has hugged the touchline, attacked full‑backs, and cut inside onto his stronger foot in a way that would make the transition into Arne Slot’s starting XI feel almost seamless. The club see him not as a long‑term project, but as a ready‑made heir to Salah’s role.

The problem? Everyone else has seen it too.

Reports in Germany say Manchester City, preparing for life under Enzo Maresca after the end of the Pep Guardiola era, have identified Diomande as a major attacking target. PSG are in the mix as well, searching for the next headline act as they reshape their forward line. Leipzig, fully aware of the market they now inhabit, have no intention of folding early.

Sky Germany describe Liverpool as “pushing hard” to land Diomande and “want to finalise the deal before the World Cup,” with the 2026 tournament due to kick off on June 11. That self‑imposed deadline underlines how much Liverpool want to move before the auction starts.

Leipzig’s stance is predictably firm. The winger is tied to a contract that runs until 2030, and Sport Bild report that the German club could demand as much as €150 million (around £130m) to even consider a sale. For a teenager barely a year into his Leipzig career, it is an eye‑watering figure, but one that reflects both his trajectory and the leverage of a long‑term deal.

Leipzig are not just holding out for a fee. They want to keep him. The Bundesliga side are trying to extend his contract further and build their attack around him, rather than cashing in on yet another rising star.

What Liverpool do have in their favour is something money cannot easily buy: Diomande’s own stated affection for Anfield.

In January, he spoke openly about his dream. “I want to play at Anfield, I want to play for Liverpool. I’m a big Liverpool fan. My father’s dream is to see me play for Liverpool.” For a club that often leans into emotional connection and the sense of a shared journey, those words will not have gone unnoticed.

This week, the teenager addressed the talk around his price tag with a mixture of realism and ambition. “Yeah, I heard. But I don’t know if it’s going to be okay for everyone to pay that,” he said, before widening the frame. “I’m not going to say Paris, Liverpool or Real (Madrid). But it would be a good idea to play for big clubs. Everyone has ambitions and every day you want to go higher.

“So, it was Leganes, today I’m a Leipzig player. I’m not going to hide my desires or my dreams. I want to play for a big club, of course.”

There is no disguise there, no coyness. Diomande knows his next step will define his career.

He framed it in even starker terms when asked about what comes next. “It depends, huh. Football is my life, and my life is about taking risks. We’re alive, but we never know what might happen. I am African, I am a believer. I believe in God, I work. Whatever the club, I am ready to fight every day to win my place, to give my best. That’s what I’ve always done. That’s what I know how to do, me.”

For Liverpool, those are the words of a player who fits both their football and their culture: hungry, fearless, willing to gamble on himself. For Leipzig, they are a reminder that however long the contract, the pull of Europe’s superpowers is relentless.

So the race is on. A 19‑year‑old with 13 goals, 10 assists and a growing highlight reel stands at the centre of a tug‑of‑war between a club losing its modern icon, a serial champion reshaping under a new coach, and a Parisian giant searching for its next star.

Liverpool want the deal done before the World Cup. Leipzig want to keep their jewel. City and PSG are waiting for any sign of hesitation.

In the battle to replace Salah, how much risk are Liverpool really prepared to take?