Diomande Makes Liverpool His Priority as Reds Prepare £80m Barcola Contingency

Liverpool are gearing up for a busy summer window following a disappointing 2025/26 campaign, with Andoni Iraola's men expected to strengthen across multiple positions. The departure of Mohamed Salah has left a significant hole in their attacking ranks, and bolstering the wing department appears high on the agenda.

RB Leipzig's Yan Diomande has emerged as a prime target for the Merseyside club. The 19-year-old has delivered an impressive breakout season in the Bundesliga, registering 12 goals and 8 assists across 33 league appearances. His World Cup debut for Ivory Coast against Ecuador further underlined his growing pedigree at the highest level, though he faces stiff competition from Paris Saint-Germain for his signature.

Recent developments have suggested momentum is building on Merseyside. Reports earlier this week indicated Liverpool were "pushing" to land the youngster, with Ivory Coast's manager hinting that a summer move to Anfield looked increasingly likely. Now, journalist James William has reported that Diomande himself is "now prioritising" a switch to Liverpool, having been convinced by Iraola's project and vision for the club's future.

However, not everyone is convinced Liverpool will win this particular race. Gabby Agbonlahor, the former Aston Villa forward, suspects PSG will ultimately land their man. Speaking on talkSPORT, Agbonlahor highlighted Diomande's extraordinary dribbling statistics—118 successful dribbles over the season, 50 more than any rival—while acknowledging the financial realities of such a move.

"When you're that good at that age and you have so long left of your career, if you don't get injured of course, your price tag is going to be so much higher than a 24-year-old," Agbonlahor explained. He pointed to Diomande's recent World Cup performance, where he "made Hincapie look ordinary," twisting him in all directions on football's biggest stage.

Agbonlahor's theory hinges on a domino effect. Should PSG win the race for Diomande—a move he believes likely given the French club's current trajectory—then Liverpool would pivot towards Bradley Barcola as their Plan B. The PSG winger, valued at £80m, could become available as the Parisians look to trim their attacking ranks.

"Diomande would 100 per cent get straight in the team and it looks like he would score more goals than Barcola, he likes to miss a lot of chances," Agbonlahor said. "Either way, Liverpool will get one of the two players but PSG will want the 19-year-old."

The pundit drew parallels with previous high-profile transfers, citing Jadon Sancho's £75m move to Manchester United as a cautionary tale. "If he comes over and it doesn't work, it's a big risk," he warned, underlining the stakes involved in pursuing such young talent at premium prices.