Liverpool set their stall out early this summer, priotising Yan Diomande as their top target to succeed Mo Salah.
Even after the surprise signing of Victor Munoz was completed, reports made the point of highlighting that RB Leipzig was just a priority for Liverpool. He was the priority. The Reds had reportedly tabled a €100million bid for the 19-year-old Ivorian, with €80m of that being an initial fee. It showed Liverpool meant business, and the Reds were reportedly further along with Diomande than any other club.
Liverpool appeared to want the deal done as soon as possible, likely to lower the chances of a hijacked move. After reportedly striking an agreement with Diomande, the transfer looked to be a formality. And then it wasn’t.
According to the latest reports, Diomande favours a move to Paris Saint-Germain, who are said to be working on a deal with RB Leipzig. In the space of a week, Liverpool went from being favourites to sign the most in-demand forward currently on the market, to completely missing out on him without a rival team actually making a bid.
This isn’t the first time this has happened to Liverpool. The Reds met with Aurelien Tchouameni before his move to Real Madrid. They had a £115m offer accepted for Moises Caicedo, only for the midfielder to favour a move to Chelsea. Ousmane Dembele turned the Reds down in 2016 before they settled on a move for Sadio Mane.
Liverpool usually react well to missing out on a top target, so this isn’t the end of the world. However, the market for right-wingers isn’t exactly great right now, and Liverpool are in desperate need of someone to fill the void left by Salah. So, who might be on their list?
Liverpool’s Diomande alternatives
Yankuba Minteh
When Diomande was initially named as Liverpool’s dream transfer target, a list of alternatives was also offered up. It was a three-man shortlist made up of Yankuba Minteh, Said El Mala and Matias Fernandez-Pardo. Of those on the list, only Minteh is a right-winger by trade, so we’ll start with him.
The Brighton and Hove Albion winger has been a little inconsistent since making the move from Newcastle United. At times, he looks unstoppable. Other times, he’s been dropped from the team for failing to perform. He’s not a guarantee. In fact, he’s far from it. However, a lot of his strengths align with what Liverpool want.
Minteh is direct, he’s quick, he’s progressive and he’s aggressive in possession. He’s comfortable on the right and makes things happen. He’s not the finished article but under the guidance of Andoni Iraola, there’s no reason he couldn’t scale his performances and become much more consistent, as a goal threat and as a creator.
Brighton are known to be tough negotiators and this could be a bit of an issue. The Seagulls will want top money when all you’d be paying for right now is potential.
Bradley Barcola
The narrative online is that it was always a case of either Diomande or Bradley Barcola. Even though they’re completely different players with completely different profiles. Still, the PSG forward will no doubt be named as an option once again now with the Reds missing out on the Ivory Coast international.
Barcola can and has played on the right. However, he’s naturally suited to the left due to his outside to inside runs. Part of his charm, and a key reason PSG are able to command a huge fee for him, is his goal threat coming in from that side. He makes those runs in behind, stretches play and looks to be a real threat. But it all comes from the left.
You are taking a monumental risk if you take an inside forward, which he is, and try to turn them into a wide winger tasked with stretching the play for others and keeping the width. It’s an even greater risk when you’re paying top dollar for his return on the left and then deploying them on the right.
Liverpool do like to take risks on occasions but feels like a step too far even for them.
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Rayan
Rayan is a bit of a wildcard shout. Named as a potential target for the Reds not long after Andoni Iraola was named as Liverpool manager, it initially felt like a lazy link.
However, it’s now starting to make a bit more sense in this market. He knows the Premier League already having joined Bournemouth in January. He knows Iraola and the style of play he expects which, in theory, would make the transition a little more seamless. His ceiling is high. His floor looks to be good enough for a Reds team developing. He’s naturally left-footed but he does hold the width on the right and he impressed for Iraola in that position. The fee might be a little excessive but Liverpool have the money and were prepared to pay it for Diomande.
Why not offer Bournemouth £100m and see what happens?