Liverpool have identified an exciting £43.1m Bundesliga alternative to Yan Diomande, but face a fierce Premier League transfer battle for his signature.
Liverpool are continuing to assess the European market as they keep close tabs on Cologne’s breakout attacker Said El Mala, with senior figures at Anfield actively drawing up contingency plans in their summer search for attacking reinforcements.
The Reds have already flexed their financial muscles once in this window, acting decisively to hijack Newcastle United’s move for Spanish international winger Victor Munoz. It was a classic piece of recruitment from the Anfield hierarchy swift, ruthless, and efficiently executed.
Yet, despite Munoz’s arrival Liverpool supporters and surely new head coach Andoni Iraola will want further quality out wide. With long-term succession planning for Mohamed Salah acting as a persistent backdrop to Liverpool’s summer strategy, adding elite depth to the frontline is a priority that hasn’t changed.
The Diomande dilemma
At the very top of Liverpool’s wishlist sits RB Leipzig’s winger Yan Diomande. The Ivorian international is understood to be the absolute priority target for the hierarchy, with his blistering pace and intelligence viewed as the perfect fit for the Reds.
However, dealing with the Bundesliga outfit is rarely a straightforward affair, and negotiations are currently proving to be a drawn-out saga.
Leipzig are under no immediate financial pressure to sell and are desperate to retain the teenager for at least another season. To scare off suitors, they have slapped a staggering, Bundesliga-record €148 million (£128 million) price tag on his head.
The Reds have already tested the waters, seeing an opening package worth in the region of €100 million (£86.5 million) firmly knocked back by the German club. Richard Hughes and co remain prepared to test Leipzig’s resolve with a second bid but they are sensibly looking at alternatives in case they are ultimately priced out of a record-breaking deal.
Cologne prodigy El Mala has firmly entered the conversation According to German outlet FussballDaten. The 19-year-old enjoyed a sensational breakout campaign in the German top flight last term, registering 13 goals and five assists in 34 Bundesliga appearances.
That clinical form didn’t just catch the eye of Premier League scouts it also earned him a maiden senior call-up to the German national team.
Valued at around €50 million (£43.1 million), El Mala represents a significantly cheaper and more financially viable alternative to Diomande.
The versatile teenager is capable of playing on either flank or operating through the middle as an advanced attacking midfielder. His explosive burst of pace and natural clinical edge are viewed by scouts as raw attributes that would adapt seamlessly to the physical demands of the Premier League.
Securing his signature, however, will spark a fierce top-flight battle. Tottenham Hotspur have done extensive background checks on the Under-21 international and have already held exploratory talks with his camp. Newcastle United, Chelsea, and Brighton are also tracking his progress closely.
Interestingly, Brentford thought they had won the race earlier this summer after having a £43.1 million package accepted by Cologne, but the transfer dramatically collapsed due to complex family elements and the player ultimately opting against a move to West London but with half of the Premier League actively circling the Cologne youngster, the Reds cannot afford to wait too long if they do decide to pivot.