So widespread reports last night have revealed that Yan Diomande, the £100m-rated Liverpool transfer target, sees his future at Paris Saint-Germain if he is to leave RB Leipzig this summer.
Leipzig are reluctant to lose their 19-year-old winger but PSG, the reigning champions of Europe, have the financial clout that might get the Bundesliga club to renege on their stance.
The story that initially appeared on the pages of RMC Sport, in France, wrote that PSG were coiled and ready to act if Diomande communicated his desire to leave for the French capital this summer.
That piece was followed by a report from The Athletic‘s David Ornstein, who is Stateside for the World Cup, that Diomande has chosen PSG as his next destination.
Yan Diomande has chosen Paris Saint-Germain as his next destination if he leaves RB Leipzig this summer.The Ivory Coast international, 19, believes in the PSG project led by chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi and football advisor Luis Campos, sources speaking anonymously have told The Athletic, and wants to play for head coach Luis Enrique.The winger sees a move to the French capital as giving him the best opportunity to consistently compete for trophies and potentially become a future Ballon D’or winner.Liverpool had previously expressed a willingness to put forward a package approaching €100million (£86.8m; $115m) for him.Leipzig were unwilling to accept that offer and have been holding out for closer to €130m while also trying to tie Diomande to fresh terms. The teenager signed a contract until 2030 when he joined from Spanish side Leganes last summer.”
And then back over on the pages of French publication RMC, it was reported that a five-year deal between PSG and Diomande, negotiated through his Roc Nation Sport agency, has now been agreed.
PSG will now open negotiations with Leipzig. The idea is to find common ground for a transfer fee but without going crazy: the new policy of the Parisian management for more than a year remains. The course of action set: to pay the right price. In Germany, the press mentioned a fee of around 130 million euros demanded by the Bundesliga club. PSG does not want to put so much on the table. “
A busy night at the coalface for those covering PSG…but what does this mean for Liverpool?
PSG’s Bradley Barcola, Yankuba Minteh of Brighton, Said El Mala, who plays for Koln, and Lille wideman Matias Fernandez-Pardo, who is also wanted by Aston Villa, are under consideration.
It should be stressed though: missing out on their top transfer target this summer is a blow for Liverpool.
There’s no sugarcoating it.
Mohamed Salah needs replacing, that forward line needs depth and quality and Diomande looks like he is PSG-bound.
Yan Diomande has reportedly decided on his next club(Image: Getty Images)