Liverpool has been throwing serious money at RB Leipzig for 19-year-old winger Yan Diomande, and Leipzig keeps sending it back. With bids reportedly reaching around €90 million plus €10 million in add-ons, you’d think that would move the needle for a teenager who only joined the club last year. It hasn’t.

Now, with Paris Saint-Germain in advanced negotiations with Diomande, including discussions over a contract that could stretch through 2031, Liverpool is doing what any sensible club does when Plan A starts looking shaky. They’re building a Plan B. The names on that shortlist: Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh and PSG’s own Bradley Barcola.

The Diomande situation, explained

Diomande, born on November 14, 2006, is an Ivorian winger who has rocketed into the conversation as one of Europe’s most coveted young talents since arriving at Leipzig in 2025.

Liverpool’s interest is part of a longer-term strategy to identify a successor for Mohamed Salah. The problem is twofold. Leipzig doesn’t want to sell at the prices Liverpool has offered, which is notable given those prices are already eye-watering. And Diomande himself has reportedly expressed a preference for PSG. When both the selling club and the player are working against you, even a €100 million checkbook doesn’t help much.

PSG’s advanced talks with Diomande represent the kind of recruitment operation that Liverpool has seen from the other side in recent years. The French club is dangling a contract potentially running through 2031, which would lock down Diomande from age 19 to 24.

Who are the alternatives?

With the Diomande deal looking increasingly unlikely, Liverpool’s recruitment team, led by Richard Hughes, has zeroed in on two names: Yankuba Minteh at Brighton and Bradley Barcola at PSG.

Then there’s Bradley Barcola, which is an interesting wrinkle. Barcola currently plays for PSG, the very club that’s trying to sign Diomande. The fact that Liverpool is considering a player from the club competing against them for Diomande suggests they’re casting a wide net.

What this means for Liverpool’s transfer window

The willingness to spend near €100 million on Diomande signals that Liverpool’s ownership understands the urgency here. The question is whether that spending power can be redirected effectively if Diomande chooses Paris.

The fact that Liverpool already has multiple alternatives identified is notable from a strategic standpoint. Liverpool’s recruitment team appears to be running parallel processes as the summer transfer window unfolds in late June 2026, with no transfer for Diomande yet finalized.