Liverpool is believed to hold firm interest in Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig, but it appears the Reds will have to wait until 2027 before making a move to sign him
16:07, 11 Jun 2026
Yan Diomande (RB Leipzig) controls the ball during match day 33 1.Bundesliga, RB Leipzig and St. Pauli, Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany on May 09 2026.
Liverpool looks as though it will miss a soft transfer deadline in its pursuit of Yan Diomande. (Image: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Liverpool could face a transfer headache involving Yan Diomande. The Reds are keen to add pace and dynamism to the wings this summer, and the Ivorian certainly fits the bill, but a potential roadblock is looming large.
The latest on the deal is that the Reds have made some significant headway, with growing optimism that an agreement can be reached for the player who would effectively serve as the Mohamed Salah replacement. But as the club found out with last summer's Marc Guehi saga, nothing is final until everything is fully signed off.
Diomande, a Golden Boy nominee who has has a play style likened to that of Sadio Mane, would be a statement addition as the Andoni Iraola era gets underway at Anfield. And yet the first soft "deadline" in the deal is now set to be missed, potentially throwing a spanner in the works.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Diomande wanted to have his future resolved before the start of the World Cup. Drawn in a group alongside Germany, Ecuador, and Curacao, Ivory Coast will fancy its chances of progressing beyond the group stage for the first time in its history, albeit thanks in no small part to the new format.
But with the tournament now upon us, Liverpool will not be able to tie things up neatly before everything gets underway, even if progress is being made. Ivory Coast's campaign doesn't begin until June 14, buying Richard Hughes and co. a little more time, but the ideal scenario of a clean pre-tournament resolution is now out of the window.
You can see why Diomande would have preferred to settle things early. In what could be an historic campaign for both him and his country, he could do without any sort of distractions.
Yan Diomande #11 of Cote d'Ivoire poses for a portrait during the official FIFA World Cup 2026 portrait session on June 07, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Yan Diomande will play an important role for Ivory Coast in the US.(Image: Justin Casterline - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
In truth, both sides had a vested interest in an early resolution. For Liverpool, letting the situation run on into the World Cup brings with it a host of potential complications.
For one thing, players having an impressive tournament is notorious for inflating the price tag. The quoted fee for Diomande is already supposedly "going up every day", and RB Leipzig will no doubt take an even harder stance if the 19-year-old shines in the US.
Gone are the days when the top clubs used the World Cup as a way of genuinely discovering new talent. Yet even so, impressing on the biggest stage is a sign of player maturity, and it reliably adds a few million dollars to the final fee.
Not only that, but it can bring more suitors to the table. PSG has long been mentioned in the Diomande conversation, and may choose to enter the race with more force (and more money) in the event that he really excels in the tournament.
Another complication is that Iraola will now face a harder time making his pitch to Diomande. Before committing to such a significant deal, player and manager alike would presumably like some face time — instead, FaceTime might be as good as it gets, and even that could be hard to organize while the teenager is so focused on the World Cup.
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While his representatives will no doubt still be working for him in the background, it is inevitable that the tournament slows every aspect of the deal down. Delay introduces more time for things to go wrong.
The best case scenario now is therefore that Liverpool closes this out before Ivory Coast's opener against Ecuador. With negotiations seemingly moving in the right direction, that does not seem totally implausible, although it would have to be a busy (and exciting) few days.
Even missing that deadline would not necessarily spell disaster. But the Reds are not naive, and they will know as well as anyone that this is a transfer best done quickly if it is to be done at all.