French Reports Claim Paris Saint-Germain Accept Defeat in Yan Diomande Race

Liverpool’s top priority in the transfer market this summer is to try to find a way to replace a departed legend, with Mohamed Salah leaving the club after nine seasons where the Reds’ Egyptian King claimed a place amongst the greatest attackers in the history of the Premier League.

class="wp-block-paragraph">It’s a task easier said than done. Perhaps it’s a task that’s not even possible, at least not if the goal is to replace Salah one-for-one. It’s clearly the priority, though, and RB Leipzig’s Ivorian rising star Yan Diomande is widely seen as the top target—but he’s not just been the top target for Liverpool.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Diomande has also been heavily linked with Paris Saint-Germain. Today, though, reports out of France claim that PSG have signalled they are abandoning any pursuit of Diomande, and that more than that he was always a target contingent on the departure of current PSG winger Bradley Barcola.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Regarding Diomande, though, a recently rejected Liverpool bid—widely reportedly to hit €100M including add-ons with between €80-90M guaranteed—is said to have already exceeded the price PSG were willing to pay. With Leipzig wanting even more, PSG are simply no longer interested.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Liverpool are also said to have already all but agreed personal terms with the player while PSG has not. None of which means Diomande will sign with Liverpool—there’s still the small matter of trying to hammer out a price suitable to both the Reds and Leipzig—but it does seem to clear the way.

class="wp-block-paragraph">For Liverpool there is also the comfort in knowing that if PSG did decide to reignite their interest in Diomande, the French club signing him would lead to them selling Barcola, who remains Liverpool’s top alternative option for if they fail to sign Diomande from the German Red Bull club.