Liverpool’s Plan for Salah’s Replacement: The Focus on Yan Diomande

Liverpool’s Salah succession plan has taken a sharp, expensive turn towards Germany – and all roads currently lead to Yan Diomande.

The 19-year-old RB Leipzig winger, fresh from tormenting defences in the Bundesliga, is now doing the same on the international stage. His display in Ivory Coast’s 1-0 World Cup win over Ecuador on Sunday didn’t just catch the eye; it poured fuel on an already simmering transfer saga.

Liverpool’s €100m question

Liverpool know what they need. Mohamed Salah will walk away at the end of the season after nine years that reshaped the club’s modern history. Replacing that output, that aura, is a brutal task, and the margin for error is thin.

Inside Anfield, though, there is a belief that Diomande is the one. Sporting director Richard Hughes is convinced the Leipzig winger fits the profile: young, explosive, technically sharp, and with the ceiling to grow into a global star rather than simply inherit the label.

The problem is Leipzig know exactly what they have.

Talks between the clubs were first sparked back in December, when early contacts were made over a possible move. Since then, Leipzig’s stance has hardened. They want to keep their prize asset for at least another season, banking on his value rising further and wary of cashing in too early.

The numbers being discussed tell their own story. Any negotiation is expected to start at around €100m (£87m, $116m) and could climb towards €120m (£104m, $140m). That is Salah-replacement money, and Leipzig are behaving like a club in no rush to sell.

World Cup stage, Liverpool noise

Then came Sunday in Ivory Coast colours.

Up against Arsenal defender Piero Hincapié, a recent Champions League finalist, Diomande turned the contest into a personal duel and rarely came off second best. He completed four dribbles, constantly drove at his man and gave Ecuador’s left side no respite. It was the sort of performance that makes recruitment departments nudge each other in the stands.

His national coach Emerse Fae could feel the transfer circus swirling around his young star even before the tournament kicked off.

“When we were in France, during the preparation, journalists told me he was about to sign with PSG,” Fae said after the Group E win. “Here, they tell me he’s about to sign with Liverpool!

“I don’t know, but for now, he will focus on the World Cup, and then afterwards, he can think about the rest of his career…”

That line is key. No decisions, no announcements, no distractions – not until Ivory Coast’s World Cup story is over. Behind that, though, the noise grows. There are strong claims that Diomande has already given the green light to a move to Anfield. The desire, on the player’s side, appears clear.

Fae’s glowing verdict

Fae did not hold back when asked about the teenager’s impact.

“Yan – what can I say? I can’t put it into words,” he admitted. “He’s very talented, but beyond the talent, he’s very young, and he’ll improve.

“He’s a kid who works hard, has a real team spirit, laughs with everyone, and he listens, listens to the technical staff whenever he’s given advice, and tries to do his best, as he’s told.

“It’s easy to work with someone like Yan, he’s so talented and has what is needed, plus he can give you the victory and was a real challenge for Hincapié, a Champions League finalist.”

Those are the kind of references clubs at the very top pay attention to. Talent, mentality, coachability. Liverpool have built an era on that blend.

The Gakpo question and the numbers game

Still, there is the small matter of that price tag.

Liverpool are not blind to the financial strain of dropping nine figures on a single player. Inside recruitment circles, one idea has already surfaced: using Cody Gakpo as leverage in a potential swap to drag down the headline fee.

Gakpo, versatile and proven in both the Premier League and at international level, would represent a serious asset for Leipzig in return. For Liverpool, he might become the key that unlocks the Diomande deal and keeps the overall spend within a range the club can live with.

There is no guarantee Leipzig will bite. But in a market where the asking price is edging into the stratosphere, creative solutions are no longer a luxury; they are a necessity.

Not just one winger on the board

Diomande is not the only wide player on Liverpool’s radar.

Bradley Barcola, restless at PSG and ready for a new chapter, has emerged as another big-money option. Our reporter Graeme Bailey has confirmed the Frenchman wants to leave Paris, and both Liverpool and Arsenal are circling.

Two different profiles, two different leagues, one shared theme: Liverpool are aggressively positioning themselves for a post-Salah future built on youth, pace, and upside.

For now, Diomande’s camp will keep its eyes on the World Cup and Fae’s training sessions. Leipzig will hold firm on their valuation. Liverpool will wait, plan, and push quietly in the background.

At some point, the stand-off will break. When it does, will Anfield be unveiling the teenager who ran rings around a Champions League finalist as the new face of their forward line?