11 June 2026·By Paul Lindisfarne
Gianluca Di Marzio says Manchester City — not PSG — are Liverpool's main rival for RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande, with new City manager Enzo Maresca identifying him as his first-choice wide target.
Di Marzio, speaking on the [_Wettfreunde podcast_](https://www.wettfreunde.net/sportwetten-news/transfer-experte-gianluca-di-marzio-fc-bayern-nathaniel-brown-yan-diomande-david-alaba-michael-olise/), was direct about where the race stands.
"Liverpool is very keen on getting Yan Diomande but they are facing competition from Manchester City. Enzo Maresca loves the player and Diomande is his first choice. Manchester City and Maresca really wants him."
He continued: "He is Liverpool's first choice as well, so at this moment it only depends on who will pay the most money for him. He will go to the Premier League and Liverpool and Manchester City are the two options.
> "PSG actually wants him as well, so he is on their list, but with all the players they have, I don't expect that he wants to go to PSG, so I am pretty sure he will go to Liverpool or Manchester City."
Diomande, born in Abidjan in November 2006, has had one of the more remarkable rises in recent European football. Eighteen months ago he was playing semi-professional football in Florida with DME Academy. He made the move to Spanish second-tier side Leganés in January 2025, and RB Leipzig triggered a €20 million release clause in July 2025, signing him to a five-year contract.
What followed in his debut Bundesliga season was a return that attracted attention across the continent. He is an Ivory Coast full international and represents one of the most explosive young wingers to emerge from the Bundesliga in recent years.
Leipzig have been clear in their public stance — they do not want to sell. The club's position, as reported by multiple outlets, is that a fee in excess of £112 million would be required before they would consider opening talks. That figure is understood to be their minimum, not their preferred outcome.
Liverpool's need is real. With Mohamed Salah having departed Anfield this summer, head coach Andoni Iraola is searching for a wide forward capable of long-term impact on the right flank. Diomande has been identified as the player most suited to that role.
Manchester City's motivation is different but equally pressing. The source article links the club's pursuit of Diomande to freeing up space on the wide right following reported discussions over the future of Brazilian winger Savinho, who has attracted interest from Tottenham Hotspur. Whether City ultimately move Savinho is unresolved, but Maresca's personal enthusiasm for Diomande has not been contingent on that outcome.
Leipzig have a player they have no financial compulsion to sell. The clubs wanting him are about to find out what that costs.