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Report: Man City prepared to pay £100m for Liverpool-linked forward

Liverpool are heading for a rebuild on the wings in the summer transfer window.

The future of Cody Gakpo is up in the air despite a £250k per week new contract. The Dutchman has fallen out of favour in recent weeks and could be sold to generate profit.

Federico Chiesa meanwhile has been unable to make a decisive breakthrough under Arne Slot over the past couple of seasons.

And on top of all of that Mohamed Salah is leaving - with Richard Hughes having agreed to rip up a contract which was originally scheduled to expire in summer 2027.

Diomande favourite to arrive

The No1 candidate in many people’s eyes to arrivethis summer will be Yan Diomande.

The 19-year-old RB Leipzig forward has enjoyed a stunning debut season in German football - scoring 11 Bundesliga goals to date - since joining from Leganes last summer for £18m.

Under contract until 2030 it is widely believed that the young Ivorian will be leaving the Red Bullclub just one season after arriving.

Liverpool will be right there for Diomande - who has previously been valued at the £87m mark. With a prior declared preference for a Liverpool move you might figure that the Premier League champions are in the lead for his signature.

But now comes a report in Sports Boom which suggests Manchester City are about to blow the Reds out of the water for Diomande.

Guardiola obsessed with Diomande

Pep Guardiola - described as “obsessed” with Diomande - sees the attacker as the ideal candidate to lead a rebuild of his forward line.

And in order to get a deal over the line City are prepared to offer £100m for Diomande. With the Red Bull-owned outfit in total control of Diomande’s future owing to his contract duration it would be no surprise to see them accept a blockbuster offer from the Etihad.

“Privately it is understood he would be open to a Premier League challenge,” the report reads. “City know it will take around £100million to prize him away but, significantly, they are not deterred.”

It wouldn’t be the first time Pep’s side beat off competition from Anfield for a transfer target.They signed Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehiin January from under Liverpool’s noses.

Last summer City swooped in for a deal for Rayan Cherki after Arne Slot passed up the opportunity to sign the Frenchman.

And in January 2025 the Manchester outfit concluded a mammoth deal for Omar Marmoush - broadly considered a major target for Liverpool at the time.

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