Liverpool's Summer Rebuild: Salah Out, Diomande and Trincao In
Liverpool’s summer rebuild is being drawn on the wings, and the outlines are getting bolder by the day.
With Mohamed Salah set to walk away on a free despite having a year left on his deal, Anfield’s wide areas are braced for an overhaul that could strip out almost an entire generation of attackers and replace it with something far younger, far more expensive – and potentially far more unpredictable.
Salah out, Diomande in – but not alone
Yan Diomande has already been identified as the crown jewel of Liverpool’s wide rebuild. The 19-year-old RB Leipzig winger, valued at more than €130m (£112m) according to The Athletic, has become the club’s primary target for the flanks. Liverpool have opened talks with Leipzig and, as David Ornstein reports, are in a stronger position than PSG when it comes to agreeing personal terms.
The fee is eye-watering, but Liverpool’s stance is clear: the price will not scare them off.
Cody Gakpo may yet become part of that story. Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Liverpool are ready to listen to “important proposals” for the Dutchman, and TEAMtalk have reported that Gakpo has even been floated as a makeweight to drive down Diomande’s cost. There have been wilder claims of Tottenham being ready to break their transfer record for him, but the more realistic scenario has Gakpo’s future tied directly to Diomande’s arrival.
And that is only one side of the reshuffle.
Federico Chiesa has publicly drawn his own line in the sand. The Italian has made it clear he must leave for the sake of his career unless new head coach Andoni Iraola can guarantee him greater playing time. With Salah going, Gakpo potentially on the move and Chiesa agitating over minutes, Liverpool’s wing department could be stripped almost bare in one window.
Which is why Diomande alone will not be enough.
Trincao: the second prong of Liverpool’s wide rebuild
Attention has turned firmly towards Francisco Trincao. First flagged by Correio da Manha as a serious target, the Sporting CP winger has surged back into prominence after an underwhelming loan spell at Wolves in 2021/22 threatened to stall his career.
Back then, he was still on Barcelona’s books. A year on loan at Sporting turned into a permanent move in 2023, and that decision has transformed him. Back in Portugal, Trincao has rebuilt his confidence, sharpened his decision-making and found the final product that once made him one of Europe’s most talked-about young wide players.
Last season he produced 13 goals and 18 assists in all competitions – 31 direct goal contributions – and was named in the Primeira Liga Team of the Season for the second year running. The left-footer has become a constant threat cutting in from the right or drifting into pockets where he can slide passes between lines.
Now, Liverpool are moving into position.
Portuguese outlet Record report that Liverpool are the club “closest” to signing Trincao this summer, with the plan built around triggering his €60m (£52m) release clause. The same report stresses that Liverpool sit “top of the list” of likely suitors, with the managerial change at Anfield doing nothing to cool their interest. Iraola’s arrival has not altered the recruitment blueprint; if anything, it has sharpened it.
The logic is obvious. With the possibility of up to three wingers leaving, Liverpool cannot gamble on a single marquee signing to carry the burden. Diomande would bring explosive potential and long-term upside. Trincao, at 26, offers a more polished, ready-made option, already tested in multiple leagues and now thriving in a high-pressure environment at Sporting.
Two different profiles. One shared expectation.
If Liverpool do pull off the double move – Diomande as the statement signing, Trincao as the clever release-clause capture – the face of their attack will look unrecognisable by the time the new season kicks off. The question is no longer whether they are rebuilding the wings, but how radically they are prepared to redraw the entire front line.
