Liverpool's Summer Transfer Challenges as PSG Targets Diomande and Akliouche

Paris Saint-Germain have not just nudged Liverpool out of the way this summer. They’ve started to shove.

First came the news that Yan Diomande, the £100m-rated RB Leipzig winger long admired at Anfield, has set his heart on the Parc des Princes. Now another target, Monaco playmaker Maghnes Akliouche, is understood to have given the green light to a move to the French champions as well. Two of the brightest World Cup talents, both leaning towards Paris. Liverpool can feel the draft.

Diomande chooses Paris

The turning point arrived via RMC Sport and was then underlined by The Athletic’s David Ornstein. Diomande, 19, has decided that if he leaves Leipzig this summer, it will be for PSG.

The Ivory Coast international, who only joined from Leganes last year and is tied to Leipzig until 2030, believes in the project fronted by Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Luis Campos and wants to work under Luis Enrique. He sees Paris as the stage to chase trophies every season and, in his own mind, to mount a future Ballon d’Or push.

Liverpool had been prepared to test Leipzig’s resolve with a package close to €100m. Leipzig pushed back, holding out for around €130m and working on a new deal. Now the dynamic has shifted. Diomande’s preference is clear, and that matters.

RMC report that PSG have already agreed a five-year contract with the winger through his Roc Nation Sport representatives. The French club will now move on to the hard part: finding a fee that tempts Leipzig without ripping up their new, self-imposed financial discipline.

Leipzig’s asking price sits around €130m. PSG, for all their muscle, do not want to “go crazy” and are determined to pay what they consider the right price. Negotiations will decide where that line is drawn.

For Liverpool, the impact is immediate and painful. Mohamed Salah needs replacing, the forward line needs a fresh injection of star quality, and the standout candidate appears to be Paris-bound.

There’s no dressing that up.

Akliouche next in line

While the Diomande saga rumbles on, PSG have already moved on another front. Talks are under way with Monaco for Maghnes Akliouche, the 24-year-old attacking midfielder who has been on Liverpool’s radar for some time.

TEAMtalk report that discussions between PSG and Monaco are progressing as the champions of Europe look to lock down another of Ligue 1’s rising stars early in the window. For Liverpool, it’s another reminder that when PSG decide to move, they tend to arrive with speed and certainty.

Akliouche had been viewed as a creative option who could evolve within Liverpool’s next attacking cycle. Instead, he now looks set to join the growing cast in Paris.

Salah, memories and a new era

While Liverpool wrestle with the future, one of their defining relationships of the past decade has been quietly redefined.

Jurgen Klopp, speaking to ESPN, opened up on his bond with Salah, acknowledging that the pair had their clashes at Anfield but insisting those tensions have long since faded.

“We are friends now,” Klopp said. He spoke about wanting to be a friend to his players, even if the reality of selection and hard decisions sometimes strained that. Time, and the memories they built together, have softened everything. “The strongest thing in life is good memories,” he said. “Right now we share them and so we are friends and now he’s at the World Cup.”

The warmth of those words only sharpens the contrast with Liverpool’s current task: replacing a legend in an unforgiving market, while watching prime targets tilt towards Paris.

Other names on the board

The recruitment department at Anfield will not stop with Diomande. Nor can they.

PSG’s own wide options hint at where Liverpool might turn next. Bradley Barcola is one name that refuses to go away. Fabrizio Romano has repeatedly underlined Liverpool’s admiration for the French winger, noting that he featured on their shortlist in 2025 and remains a concrete option for 2026.

The twist? PSG have yet to give the green light for Barcola to leave, and voices in France insist he’s staying put. Romano’s information differs: he maintains the situation is “still open” and that movement continues around the player. If Diomande walks through the door in Paris, the dominoes could start to wobble.

Liverpool are also watching Said El Mala closely. The 19-year-old Cologne winger scored 13 goals and added five assists in 34 Bundesliga games last season and had seemed Brentford-bound earlier in the year before backing away in search of a bigger move.

Now, according to the Express, Cologne are nervous about the lack of firm offers. They still want around £40m to reinvest, but that anxiety could hand Liverpool leverage if they decide to act. Newcastle are another club linked, yet the opportunity is there for a decisive bid.

On the wider market, Bournemouth’s Rayan continues to build his reputation on the international stage. The winger started Brazil’s 3-0 win over Scotland at the World Cup, stepping in for the injured Raphinha, and is expected to feature again against Japan in Houston. Liverpool have been linked, as has a reunion with Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, who brought him to England in January. A £130m release clause reportedly kicks in next January, though any summer move would likely require a bespoke agreement.

Felix Nmecha is another name in Liverpool’s notebook. The Borussia Dortmund midfielder lit up the early stages of the World Cup for Germany, only to struggle in a 2-1 defeat to Ecuador. He faces Paraguay at Gillette Stadium next, with Manchester United also monitoring his progress. One sparkling week on the global stage, one subdued night – a reminder of how quickly reputations can swing when the whole market is watching.

Guimaraes and the Premier League squeeze

The Premier League arms race continues to complicate Liverpool’s plans.

Newcastle are scrambling to secure Bruno Guimaraes on a new contract amid talk of a summer exit and strong interest from elite clubs, Liverpool among them. Arsenal have already seen a £55m bid rejected, and Newcastle are now prepared to make the Brazilian their highest-paid player on around £200,000 a week.

There is an understanding that he can leave for £60m after Newcastle failed to qualify for the Champions League, but the Tyneside club are desperate to shut that door before anyone walks through it. Another potential midfield solution, locked behind fresh terms.

Spurs circle Gakpo as Liverpool watch on

Elsewhere, Tottenham are being urged to move for Cody Gakpo. Former Spurs full-back Alan Hutton believes the Dutchman would solve a long-standing issue in their wide areas and offer extra goals and creativity for the likes of Dominic Solanke and Richarlison.

Gakpo’s versatility – able to play wide or through the middle – only adds to his appeal. For Liverpool, who once placed him at the centre of their own plans, it is another sign of how quickly the landscape can change when you hesitate or pivot.

Where do Liverpool turn now?

The reality is stark. PSG, already back-to-back Champions League winners, are closing in on Diomande and pushing hard for Akliouche. They have the trophies, the money, the Parisian sheen – and at the moment, they have the edge.

Liverpool could still try to blow them out of the water with a huge bid to Leipzig, but that would mean ripping up their own financial lines at a time when the squad needs multiple reinforcements, not just one marquee arrival.

So the question hangs over Anfield: do they chase the almost-lost cause in Diomande, or pivot with conviction to the likes of Barcola, El Mala and the next wave of emerging stars?

In a summer that will define their post-Salah era, hesitation is a luxury they can no longer afford.