Liverpool's Failed Pursuit of Yan Diomande: A Shift to Bradley Barcola
Liverpool’s late dash for Yan Diomande looks destined to fall short, with the 19-year-old RB Leipzig winger locked on a move to PSG and the French champions closing in on a deal worth around €110m.
Liverpool swing hard – and miss
Liverpool identified Diomande as their flagship wide signing the moment the window opened. Mohamed Salah’s abrupt exit, after the final year of his contract was torn up, has blown a crater in the right flank of the attack. Diomande, comfortable and dangerous operating from that side, quickly became the preferred answer.
The club tested Leipzig’s resolve with a huge offer. An official bid totalling €100m (£85m) went in and was rejected. Whether it was structured as €90m plus €10m in add-ons or €80m plus €20m, the outcome was the same: Leipzig said no, and Diomande’s intention to join PSG seemed to slam the door on Anfield.
Liverpool’s response was to accelerate interest in Bradley Barcola, a player who could be squeezed out at PSG if Diomande walks through the door. Barcola is admired, but he has always felt like Plan B. Diomande is the one they truly wanted.
So Liverpool went back in.
PSG’s president steps onto the pitch
TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey reports that Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City all made late approaches, with Liverpool the most serious suitor given their earlier nine-figure bid and glaring need on the right.
It has not shifted the player’s stance.
Diomande, Bailey reiterates, wants PSG. That clarity has given the French champions the confidence to push hard, and the power at the top of the club has now moved in behind the deal.
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has taken personal control of negotiations with Leipzig. His involvement is no minor detail. Al-Khelaifi’s strong relationship with Red Bull’s hierarchy has helped talks accelerate, and sources close to the discussions believe an agreement is now close.
Leipzig, internally at least, are said to have accepted that Diomande is heading to Paris. Once they resisted Liverpool’s €100m, they knew the next move would have to be decisive. PSG are prepared to go there, ready to pay roughly €110m (£93.5m) to get it done.
The pressure finally told. Not from Liverpool’s boardroom, but from Paris.
Liverpool turn back to Barcola
For Liverpool, the picture is stark. Their top target is slipping away, almost certainly for good, and to a club who have made a habit of winning these kinds of transfer arm-wrestles.
That leaves the recruitment team circling back to Barcola. The France international finds himself at an impasse with PSG over a new and improved contract and is available for the right price. If Diomande signs, Barcola’s path to regular minutes in Paris narrows even further.
So the pivot is obvious. Liverpool still need a right-sided weapon, still have money to spend, and still have a system that demands high-end production from wide areas. Barcola, unlike Diomande, is not dug in on staying at PSG.
Liverpool started this summer chasing the “true prize” in Diomande. If, as expected, he walks out at the Parc des Princes instead of Anfield, the question becomes blunt: can a second-choice signing carry the weight of replacing Mohamed Salah?
