Yann Diomande has reportedly made up his mind on his next move, with the RB Leipzig winger believed to have chosen Paris Saint-Germain ahead of Liverpool this summer. The Merseyside club are determined to pursue Diomande, having already informed Leipzig earlier this month that they were prepared to make an offer worth around £86 million (approximately €100 million).
However, with the Bundesliga team said to be holding on to £112m (€130m), it is unlikely that this amount will be enough. Liverpool and PSG were the two clubs with the strongest links with Diomande throughout the summer, and the French champions currently appear to have the upper hand in pursuing the Ivorian, who is currently representing his country at the World Cup. According to The Athletic, the 19-year-old has named the European champions as his next preferred destination should he leave Leipzig during the current transfer window.
Diomande is fully on board with PSG’s long-term vision and has ambitions to win trophies regularly and is said to be hoping to win the Ballon d’Or.
This news will be a huge blow to Liverpool. The Reds have made Diomande a top priority this summer as they look for a suitable successor to Mohamed Salah.
Liverpool have already signed Victor Munoz from Osasuna for £34.5m, with the Spaniard seen as an option on either side. Diomande can also play for either team, but it appears he has all but rejected a move to Anfield, despite previous comments about his father being a Liverpool fan.
“I want to play at Anfield and I want to play for Liverpool,” Diomand said earlier this year. “I’m a big Liverpool fan. I’m a big Liverpool fan because my dad’s dream is to see me play at Anfield. So that’s my dream. You know, it’s a dream for me too to fulfill my dad’s dream.”
Since then, the Ivory Coast player has added, “Paris Saint-Germain has been my favorite team since I was a child.I think my father was also a supporter of PSG.As a soccer fan, it’s a team I respect.But I’m not thinking about the future.”
“I remain focused on the World Cup but we’ll see what happens after that. They’ll sort things out between the clubs and we’ll see what happens next. I have a contract with Leipzig and I love playing here.”
In another interview with French media, Diomand added: “Yes, I would be happy to come here and play for one of the biggest clubs. I’m always happy to come here (to play in France) because the language is already French so it’s not difficult to adapt. But again, I’m an RB Leipzig player so that’s fine.”
“Yes (I was happy to see PSG win the UCL), because my father is a PSG supporter. So, yes, it was good for me to see them win. Yes (I would like to play with them someday), I like them very much, I like them very much.”
