Star ordered to 'sign for Liverpool' as double PSG raid casts doubts on €130m transfer

RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande has been told he could be making a mistake choosing to join Paris Saint-Germain over Liverpool as two more expected deals for the reigning European champions gather pace and serve as a reminder as to why the Ivorian may face a tough battle for regular minutes.

Diomande has emerged as one of the most in-demand stars in world football, off the back of a breathtaking season for Leipzig that saw him register an impressive 26 goal contributions (15 scored, 11 assists) across 46 appearances in all competitions.

With Liverpool high on his list of suitors – and with TEAMtalk revealing back in December that the Reds have been in what was described by sources as ‘almost daily contact’ over a prospective summer move – the teenager looks to have the world at his feet as he ponders his next move.

However, it emerged late last month that Diomande has made it clear that he would pick a move to PSG over the Merseysiders, with talks then being held over a mammoth €130m (£111m, $148.5m) transfer.

The 19-year-old, though, is just one of three high-profile attacking additions the two-time defending European champions have their heart set on this summer, with the Parisians also targeting Monaco star Maghnes Akliouche and Bournemouth sensation Eli Junior Kroupi.

And while both Goncalo Ramos (to AC Milan) and Lee Kang-in (to Atletico Madrid) have moved on to pastures new, Diomande has been warned he could be making a massive mistake joining PSG given the huge level of competition that exists in Luis Enrique’s side…

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Yan Diomande ordered to snub PSG and sign for Liverpool instead

While RB Leipzig remain determined to keep Diomande – a player that sources have described as the Red Bull group’s best discovery since Erling Haaland – for at least one more year, the growing consensus is that a big-money offer will leave them with little choice but to cash in.

Indeed, sources told our transfer correspondent Graeme Bailey that any sale of Diomande could now set a new Bundesliga record – matching the €148million (£128m, $169m) received by Borussia Dortmund when Ousmane Dembele joined Barcelona in 2017.

However, Diomande has been warned that, given Enrique can also call upon the reigning Ballon d’Or winner Dembele, his France teammates Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola, as well as Georgian sensation Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the player’s pathway into the first team might not be quite so straightforward.

And speaking to the Liverpool Echo, former Reds star Joe Cole has urged Diomande to reconsider his stance on rejecting Anfield.

“There are a lot of top-level wingers in world football right now, but Diomande is as good as I’ve seen; he’s so explosive,” Cole began.

“My advice to him as a young player is: don’t bother going to PSG. Go to Liverpool because if they want you and there’s a hole in the team to play, then they really need you.

“PSG don’t need anybody, but maybe his heart is set on Paris. If that’s the case and he backs himself, I’ve got no problem with that; but if Liverpool still want him, go out and convince him because I think that would be the move that suits him best.”

If Liverpool still had any chance of landing Diomande, it’s an opportunity they would be foolish to turn down.

He would be perfect for new boss Andoni Iraola’s system, while given the Reds’ interest now dates back several months, they would surely push ahead with a swoop if a chance to rekindle the deal was presented to them.

The fact that Diomande has also expressed his interest in joining the Reds previously could also give them hope.

For now, Liverpool’s focus, though, appears to be on other targets. PSG’s impressive summer transfer plans have suggested Barcola could be forced out, though Liverpool have also been warned that a deal for the France star will also come with an eye-watering price.

However, Fabrizio Romano is convinced he will leave, dropping three reasons why a departure could be on the cards this summer.

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