Liverpool have got Yan Diomande in their sights as a big-money summer transfer to replace Mohamed Salah.
The Egyptian King, 33, has reached an agreement with his employers to tear up his £400k per week contract one year early - leaving him free to choose his next destination in summer 2026.
And Arne Slot and Richard Hughes are aiming for a one-v-one dribbling specialists to succeed their all-time great.
Diomande has been on the list for around six months now with the RB Leipzig winger taking to life in the Bundesliga with considerable relish.
The Ivorian wideman has scored 11 goals in the German top flight - adding six assists - in his first season since joining from Leganes.
Barcelona drop out of Diomande race
A report from Spain via Sport Witness now suggests that Liverpool will have one less rival bid to worry about this summer. Barcelona did their due diligence on Diomande when he was at Leganes before his £18m move to Leipzig last year.
But the ship has sailed for the Catalans as they are now unable to afford the Leipzig asking price. “The €70m price is also too high for Hansi Flick’s side,” the report reads.
“For now, there are no options for his arrival as several Premier League sides, ‘especially Liverpool and Chelsea’, are ‘prepared to offer’ over €60m.”
Widely quoted at around €100m (£87m) the Sport report claims that it is more likely that a deal can be done at around €70m if the German side are persuaded to sell.
Even so that is a little too rich for Barca’s blood unless they manage to offload one of their other attackers for a big fee in the summer.