Liverpool will need to be active in the summer transfer market, with Arne Slot's roster in need of some more pace and attacking quality after a difficult season
22:20, 09 May 2026
Assan Ouedraogo of RB Leipzig.
Assan Ouedraogo of RB Leipzig.(Image: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Liverpool will qualify for the Champions League this season — a maximum of three more points are required — but then there is a big job facing Arne Slot and his sporting director, Richard Hughes, this summer.
After a dismal draw with Chelsea this weekend, there was another reminder that Liverpool needs to get things right in the transfer market and on the training field before next season begins. Chiefly, the Reds need to add more pace and an extra dimension in the final third, where the problems have been consistent and familiar for months.
Mohamed Salah is set to depart, and a replacement will be required. Someone younger and with some speed will make a substantial difference, getting more from the likes of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak in the process.
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RB Leipzig starlet Yan Diomande is one option thought to be under consideration. The 19-year-old has been electric in Germany this year, scoring 13 goals and providing another nine assists in all competitions.
According to the German outlet BILD, though, Diomande may not be the only Leipzig "jewel" that Liverpool is keeping an eye on.
The Reds are also said to be one of a number of major European teams circling the exciting central midfielder Assan Ouedraogo. Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and Chelsea are among the others.
Yan Diomande moves to cross the ball against Union Berlin on April 24(Image: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
With speculation mounting this week that there might be doubts about Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones' futures, Liverpool may need to bring in fresh blood in the center of the field.
Wataru Endo is currently out injured, but he has never been a regular starter at Anfield. He also only has one more year left on his contract after signing from Stuttgart in 2023.
Ouedraogo, who has been touted as a $47 million (£35 million) player, is technically excellent, but he also stands at 1.91 meters tall. Liverpool was credited with an interest when he left Schalke in 2024.
Still only 19, Ouedraogo might be ready for the next step in his career soon. And Liverpool, of course, has a strong relationship with the Red Bull group, having done plenty of business with it before.
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In recent years, the Reds have signed the likes of Ibrahima Konate and Dominik Szoboszlai from Leipzig. Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp, meanwhile, now works for the group.
"I don’t think you will have heard of him, but Assan Ouedraogo, he plays for Leipzig, and he made a massive impression," Klopp said recently.
"Very young, 19-year-old midfielder, very tall, really good dribbler, stuff like that, good sense for space and the goal. Injured right now, but if he can play the rest of the season, he could be a good choice."