Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing both Yan Diomande and Assan Ouedraogo from RB Leipzig, but they have been told the latter will NOT be available for €40million (£35m).
After a staggering £440million outlay last summer, the Reds are preparing to re-enter the market aggressively — provided they can first finalise outgoing sales. Arne Slot’s squad blueprint is clear and ambitious: two new forwards, a central midfielder, a left-back, a right-back and a centre-half. At the heart of the plan sits a dual strike on Leipzig’s most prized assets, a move that, if completed, would represent not just squad reinforcement but a decisive recalibration of Liverpool’s long-term trajectory.
The primary target on the flank is Leipzig star Yan Diomande, identified as the club’s favoured option to eventually succeed Mohamed Salah on the right wing. Liverpool have already begun official talks with both the player’s camp and the German club. The Ivorian’s price tag is eye-watering — €100m (£86.5m) — yet recent reports suggest a creative swap deal could improve the Reds’ negotiating position. Leipzig, for their part, are attempting to tie the winger down to a new contract in an effort to delay any departure by at least another year.
Complementing that wide-area ambition is a parallel pursuit of Assan Ouedraogo, the 20-year-old midfield prodigy described by those close to the club as a “perfect profile” to inject technical quality and physicality into Liverpool’s engine room. At 6ft 3in and blessed with an ability to dictate play that has drawn comparisons to Paul Pogba in his prime, Ouedraogo is viewed as the ideal successor should Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones or Wataru Endo depart at the end of the season. German newspaper Bild confirmed Liverpool’s keen interest in “Leipzig’s jewel”, while earlier claims of a €40m bid have been firmly rebuffed.
Leipzig have no intention of parting with the German talent for anything close to that figure. His contract, which runs until June 2029 and contains no release clause, gives the Bundesliga side total control over the valuation. Sources close to the negotiations have indicated that a fee in the region of €80-100m (£69-86.5m) will be required to tempt them. When added to the projected outlay on Diomande, the combined investment approaches £156million — a colossal sum that underscores the scale of Liverpool’s ambition.
Yet there is reason for optimism at Anfield. The club enjoy a strong relationship with RB Leipzig, forged through the successful previous acquisitions of Naby Keita, Ibrahima Konate and Dominik Szoboszlai. That rapport could yet place Liverpool at the front of the queue should a bidding war materialise. And a bidding war is almost certain: Manchester United are understood to be “crazy” about Ouedraogo, Chelsea remain firmly in the frame, and Bayern Munich have also registered interest. Liverpool will therefore need to fend off multiple Premier League and European heavyweights to bring the midfielder to Merseyside.
The timing is critical. Slot’s side still require a second attacker to cover Hugo Ekitike’s long recovery from a ruptured Achilles, while the search for a right-sided replacement for Salah grows more urgent by the week. Ouedraogo’s arrival would not only address the immediate central-midfield shortfall but also provide the physical and technical foundation for a midfield that can dominate both domestically and in Europe for years to come.
In one decisive summer window, Liverpool would have secured two high-ceiling talents who fit Slot’s pressing, technical template like pieces of a bespoke puzzle. A 6ft 3in midfield jewel and a dynamic right-flank heir, acquired for a combined £156million, would signal more than mere transfer activity — it would announce a club that has refused to stand still, a club that has looked at its squad gaps and chosen to fill them with the very best available.
The mission is clear. Two bodies. One vision. And, potentially, a summer that could redefine Liverpool’s next era.