Liverpool Eye Endrick Gambit as Diomande Deal Crumbles

Liverpool's pursuit of RB Leipzig's Yan Diomande has hit a dead end, but the Reds may yet have a Plan B up their sleeve—albeit one that looks rather ambitious on closer inspection.

Enter Endrick. The Real Madrid forward, acquired by the Spanish giants from Palmeiras in July 2024 for an initial €40m with potential add-ons taking the deal to €70m, has been tentatively linked with a Merseyside switch. Rousing the Kop have floated his name as a possible alternative following Diomande's decision to join PSG instead.

The Brazilian teenager's journey at the Bernabeu has been anything but smooth. A difficult first 18 months saw him starved of opportunities before securing a January loan move to Lyon, where he rediscovered his form with eight goals and eight assists across 21 appearances. At 19, he carries the kind of pedigree that drew comparisons to Ronaldo during his breakthrough at Palmeiras.

With Jose Mourinho now back in the Madrid hotseat, the manager faces a decision on whether to integrate Endrick into his first-team plans or sanction yet another temporary departure. The youngster is due to return to Spain following Brazil's World Cup campaign.

Yet there are rather substantial obstacles blocking any Liverpool move. For starters, Endrick sees himself as a centre-forward, not the right-winger role Liverpool need to fill following Mohamed Salah's departure. More fundamentally, Madrid—and president Florentino Perez in particular—view him as a future Galactico. Perez would sooner loan him out again than entertain selling, especially having committed such substantial resources to his acquisition.

Marca's reporting suggests Endrick will remain at the Bernabeu, making the whole affair feel more like hopeful speculation than genuine transfer momentum.

Elsewhere, Liverpool have more realistic targets in their crosshairs. Bradley Barcola tops the list as the club's favoured winger, with PSG potentially willing to move him on following Diomande's arrival. However, David Ornstein has cautioned that the Parisians' valuation considerably exceeds the £116m paid for Elliot Anderson. Said El Mala of Cologne and Brighton's Yankuba Minteh represent more feasible alternatives as the summer window progresses.