Liverpool has been linked with a transfer for RB Leipzig teenager Yan Diomande. But other Premier League clubs are showing an interest ahead of the summer
18:24, 21 Jan 2026
Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig is challenged by Hiroki Ito of FC Bayern Munich during the Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and FC Bayern München at Red Bull Arena on January 17, 2026 in Leipzig, Germany.
Liverpool has been credited with transfer interest in Yan Diomande(Image: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Liverpool will face at least one Premier League rival for the summer signature of RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande. The Ivorian has been linked with a transfer to Anfield.
The Reds have been presented with a rare advantage in their potential pursuit of Diomande, with the exciting young prospect openly stating his ambition to join Liverpool. While it would be unlikely to make too much of a difference, there's also a familiar face in charge of Red Bull's footballing operations, in the form of a certain Jurgen Klopp.
But given the expected level of competition, any transfer is far from a formality. And Liverpool is yet to even openly enter the race for Diomande, although some reports claim that it is preparing a bid for the summer.
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One team that seemingly has shown its hand is Tottenham. According to the Daily Mail, Spurs have now declared interest in Diomande, with an eye on a transfer at the end of the season.
And it does not sound as if the North London outfit will be the only suitors. Diomande is described as in-demand, with "bigger and richer" Premier League clubs also set to engage.
Liverpool is presumably one such club. Manchester United has also been strongly linked, with transfer noise intensifying after Antoine Semenyo moved to the blue side of the city.
Yan Diomande try to pass from Yasser Ibrahim during the match between Egypt vs Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations 2025 - Quarter Finals Round at Grand Stade D'Agadir, Agadir, Morocco
Diomande came up against Mohamed Salah at the recent Africa Cup of Nations(Image: Mohamed Tageldin / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
This level of interest from a whole host of top clubs should come as little surprise. Diomande has been a revelation in his debut Bundesliga season, scoring six times and registering three assists in 16 appearances.
Splitting his time across both wings, the 19-year-old is direct and electric. His hat-trick against Frankfurt in December catapulted him even more firmly onto the radar.
It's not hard to see where he might fit in at Liverpool. The wings were somewhat overlooked in the summer overhaul of the attack, and Arne Slot could do with some new recruits for both flanks.
For Diomande, the prospect of replacing Mohamed Salah would no doubt be appealing. But his relentless desire to beat his man might actually be more reminiscent of Luis Diaz, whom Liverpool has missed since selling him to Bayern Munich.
Luis Diaz of FC Bayern Munich shoots the ball during the Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and FC Bayern Munich at Red Bull Arena on January 17, 2026 in Leipzig, Germany.
Luis Diaz got the better of Yan Diomande recently, as Bayern Munich triumphed 5-1 over RB Leipzig(Image: F. Noever/FC Bayern via Getty Images)
But all of this could yet be a moot point. As well as the competition from Spurs (and likely others), there is the issue that RB Leipzig continues to insist that Diomande is not for sale.
The Red Bull outfit only signed him from Leganes last summer. Until January 2025, he was at the DME Academy, a multisports academy in Florida.
"With such a young player that we just signed, you can’t give him away after just one year," Red Bull chief Oliver Mintzlaff declared recently. "In recent years, RB Leipzig has worked out that even top players can certainly stay longer.
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"As chairman of the supervisory board, I would say that he will still be there next season, even if an offer of €80-90 million ($94-105 million) comes."
That sounds fairly definitive. But Liverpool knows that such stances are never as solid as they seem.
And with time very much on Diomande's side, interest is unlikely to begin and end in the summer in any case. If his meteoric ascent continues on its current trajectory, a transfer is just a matter of time — and with all due respect to Spurs, it may be that Liverpool has some even bigger rivals with which to contend.